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Quick Guide
- Steel-blue spherical flower heads July to September
- Prickly dark green, deeply divided foliage
- Fully hardy and drought-tolerant once established
- Extremely attractive to bees and butterflies
- Excellent cut flower for arrangements
Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue' is a striking herbaceous perennial with distinctive metallic steel-blue spherical flower heads. This hardy globe thistle flowers continuously from July to September, providing long-lasting architectural interest to the border. Robust upright stems are clothed in prickly dark green, deeply divided foliage with a whitish reverse, creating striking texture even before flowering. The bright blue globe-shaped flowers measure 2.5–5cm across and are extremely attractive to bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, making this an excellent choice for pollinator-friendly gardens. The flowers also make superb cut material for floral arrangements. Plant in full sun or partial shade in poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil; rich soil promotes floppy growth and fewer flowers. Once established, it is remarkably drought-tolerant and requires minimal maintenance. Deadhead spent flowers to prevent excessive self-seeding and encourage a second flush of blooms.
Plant Guide
Plant in full sun or partial shade in poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Avoid rich or heavily fertilised soil, which causes weak, floppy stems and reduces flowering. Water regularly when newly planted until established, then water lightly; it is drought-tolerant once settled. Deadhead spent flower heads to prevent self-seeding and encourage additional blooms. Cut back any dead or damaged foliage in early spring. Fully hardy to H7 (–20°C). Propagate by seed sown in spring or by division in spring or autumn.
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EAN code046027
- Ultimate Height1-1.5m (3-5ft)
- Ultimate Spread0.5-1.0m
- Flower ColourBlue
- Foliage ColourDark Green
- SunlightFull Sun or Partial Shade
- UK Hardiness ZoneH7
- Care GuideLow maintenance
- Planting SeasonSpring, Autumn
- Season of InterestSummer, Autumn
- Growth RateAverage
- Drought TolerantYes - Once Established
- Award of Garden MeritNo
- Bee FriendlyYes
- Pot Size Litre2
Delivery Areas
We deliver within the M25 area of London. For deliveries of Pots & Planters outside this zone, we may be able to help on a case-by-case basis — please contact our sales team at [email protected]. You are also welcome to visit our garden centre in Kentish Town, where our team will be happy to help in person.
Delivery Costs & Delivery Day
Delivery charges are based on postcode zone within the M25. Enter your postcode at the top of this page to see your zone and cost, or check at checkout. You can also select your preferred delivery day at checkout.
Delivery Timeframes
We aim to deliver orders within 2–4 working days. During peak seasons, such as Christmas, delivery times may vary slightly due to increased demand. We will keep you informed at every stage.
Third-Party Couriers
For London postcodes outside a 5-mile radius of our Kentish Town garden centre, we may occasionally use a third-party courier for delivery. In these cases, we try our best to still deliver the items in the requested delivery time slot but please be aware that occasionally this may not always be possible and is out of our control.
Delivery Discrepancies
Please check your order as soon as it arrives. If there is any discrepancy — such as a missing, incorrect, or damaged item — please contact us within 48 hours of delivery so we can put things right. After this time, we will assume the order was received complete and in good condition. We are unable to take responsibility for damage that has occurred after this period.
Click & Collect
We encourage you to collect from our garden centre in Kentish Town — it saves on delivery costs and gives you the chance to see our full range of plants and products in person.
All Click & Collect orders must be collected within 7 days of being ready, unless a later date has been arranged with us in advance. If an order is not collected within this time, it will be cancelled and a refund issued.
Returns Policy
If you need to return an item, please contact us within 14 days of receipt to arrange a return or exchange. Products must be in their original condition and packaging. Plants may be non-refundable unless they arrive damaged or defective.
Items bought in-store or collected can be returned directly at the garden centre. If you would like us to collect a return and it is in good condition (e.g. you have changed your mind), it must be in its original condition, and the same delivery cost will apply for the return.
Plants marked as reduced for end-of-season clearance are non-refundable, as they are sold specifically to clear stock. This does not apply to special offers or multibuy promotions, which are eligible for returns as per our standard terms.
Questions about delivery or returns? Email [email protected] or call +44 (0) 20 7284 4999.
| Located in Kentish Town, London, Boma garden centre is proud of its vision to transform the city into an urban paradise. The garden centre has created a plant lover's paradise, a place where you can relax, unwind and de-stress among the foliage and flowers. The Webshop makes it easier to order online if you can't get to the garden centre, with nationwide delivery. But we encourage plant lovers to pop in for a visit and chat with the team. |
Creating an urban paradise
Our dream is to transform urban living into a plant lovers' paradise. Making our neighbourhoods a wonderful place is good for our wellbeing and more friendly to the environment. A shared vision that gets us out of bed in the morning.
We've curated a botanical sanctuary
Our team of horticulturists planned our garden centre to show plants in their natural habitat, with inspirational displays. Looking for plants is like taking a walk in a botanical sanctuary.
And for those that consider our canine friends an essential part of life, bring your best mate along. Hopefully, they'll get along with our house cat Blue Bell.
It so happens we stock some fabulous plants
Our garden centre specialises in rare specimen plants beyond the common garden varieties. We also stock everything you need to cultivate your dream garden, home and office, with the largest range of plants, pots and containers in North London. Apparently, visitors consider us The gardener's garden centre.
Recommended by Customers
Buy Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue' (Pot Size 2L) Globe Thistle 'Taplow Blue' at The Boma Garden Centre in Kentish Town, London. Visit our garden centre in London and check our wide range of plants & gardening products. We also offer many other products in our webshop. We look forward to seeing you soon!