Amethyst Sea Holly 'Sapphire Blue' (Eryngium amethystinum)

Amethyst Sea Holly 'Sapphire Blue'
Eryngium amethystinum

A closeup of the Amethyst Sea Holly (Eryngium amethystinum) 'Sapphire Blue' bloomhead surrounded by the prickly sepals.

Beautiful flower, and even more impressive - terrific image!

What type of digital camera do you use? (Brand, model #, etc.) I only have an older Sony Mavica FC-87, just 1.3 megapixels. I am guessing that I need one with more megapixels to get those wonderfully sharp pics that you and other talented photographers get? I have tried several different settings, but they just don't turn out like I want them to! :(

Thank you for sharing your pretty flowers! :)

Kim

Kim you need a macro facility to achieve these sort of close ups. Beautiful photo.

Kim, the plant is indeed beautiful and is one of my most recent additions to my garden. I actually dug up other nice plants to make room for three I bought. I just hope it continues to do as well as it has so far. I have to admit that I had to take several photos before I obtained a fairly well focused photo. Thanks for your compliment about it. I love to share the plants that bring me so much pleasure and share the beautiful as well as amazing gifts that have been bestowed upon us.

I used a Sony Mavica: CD, 3.3 megapixels; set on macro, portrait and automatic focus. My camera has a Carl Zeiss lens which makes a world of difference in photo clarity as compared to the regular lenses I have on my other Sony cameras. The higher the number of mega pixels your camera produces determines the sharpness of the photo detail. Someday I will buy a new camera, but this one is okay for now. Below is a photo taken with my old Sony Mavica with 1.3 mega pixels (Macro setting) to show the difference in clarity. So I am not really that talented of a photographer, my camera does all of the work. :o) Thanks for your comments.

Kim, this is another photo taken with my old camera which shows about as clear of a photo that I could take with it.

Galanthophile, you are absolutely right about having to use a macro to be able to obtain good close ups. It is good to hear from a fellow gardener from across the Atlantic. I am always amazed when I learn that plants that grow here do well over in your neck of the woods too. But, I shouldn't be because so many of them where brought over here from over there. :o) Thanks for your comments.

This message was edited May 14, 2005 3:12 PM

I love eryngiums and have several varieties and believe me once you have them you'll never be without them as I find they seed around quite freely. My favourite is Eryngium giganteum Miss Willmott's Ghost although I do like the steely blues too. I am in the same zone as you I think and I am grateful that I can grow such a great variety of plants - I have a small garden but over 550 plants!

From its description, Eryngium giganteum 'Miss Willmott's Ghost' has large flower heads which go through stages of green to silver, then metallic blue, then back to silver. I saw the photo you posted of it ... beautiful plant and fabulous photo. Now, I'll be on the lookout for it. :o) I have only had mine in the ground for a week and several people have stopped to admire it and ask about it. Yes indeed, we are fortunate to be able to grow so many great plants in our zone. Wow, that is a lot of different kinds. I bet your garden is magnificent.

edited for typing error

This message was edited May 14, 2005 3:29 PM

I wish I could send you some seeds! It took me a while to acquire them but yesterday I was pulling the excess seedlings out! Thanks for the compliments, I don't know about magnificent! but I do try and have something in flower every day through the year and pretty much manage to achieve that.

I'll see if my favorite nursery can find some 'Miss Willmott's Ghost' and make them available. They are pretty good about finding plants and offering them after I have suggested the plants to them. I had never seen this plant before until this spring. and different types would be so much fun to have. I like they way they change colors ... it's as thougt you have different plants in the same spot. I have been trying to achieve having something blooming year round. The native Texas perennials die back in the winter so I need to have things planted to fill in the bear spots until the perennials caome back in the spring.

Yes that's the trick isn't it. i use bulbs alot as underplanting so that their foliage is hidden as the perennials emerge. Everything is romping away just now.

Oh, what a beautiful sight. The different growth habits, foliage shapes, textures and colors are wonderful. Great job and thanks for sharing the photo of the plants. I have been planting a lot of bulbs for the past 2 years around some of the perennials and that has helped a lot. My problem is that I have a lot of areas that do not receive full sun so I need bulbs that can tolerate some shade or filtered shade. Do you know of a flowering vine that will tolerate filtered shade (under oak trees)?

Now there's a challenge! Have you considered an annual climber? I mention that as there are few perennial climbers that flower and tolerate shade. Any plant in that position would have to be pampered a bit especially in its 1st year. Anyway some suggestions - eccremoncarpus scaber or Chileab Glory Vine, Cobaea scandens, clematis alpina, clematis macropetala, Vines include vitis vinifera purpurea and vitis coignetiae. Non flowering climbers include humulus lupulus aureus (hop) and actinidia kolomikta. Food for thought. Good luck! I would love to have more shade!

Thanks for the vine suggestions. My yard is small and used to have plenty of sunny areas until the oak trees in my yard as well as my neighbor's have become huge over the years. I have had to change the plants in most areas to shade/filtered shade loving plants that bloom in the shade and interesting foliage plants. I used to think it would be great to have a lot of shade, but I miss my sun loving plants. Having the oaks trimmed back some and thinned has helped. I had been thinking about cutting one down until I regained my wits.

I just picked one of these up at the garden centre. I'm really hoping it will do well, because I love the oddball flowers it produces. I had an eryngium planum in my original bed that was totally overcome by the echinops I planted the same summer. Now THERE'S a monster plant... it's trying to take over the garden. It's gotta be at least 4 1/2 feet tall now... no wait, make that 5!...and about 4 feet in diameter. Looks like a shrub. The new eryngium will go in a bare spot several feet from the closest globe. Wish me luck!

The wonderful eryngium planum that I had last year in tandem with my Crystal Fairy rose and white echinacea doesn't seem to have overwintered and I'm so disappointed.

I love eryngiums and will keep trying..

I had to move my Amethyst Sea Holly 'Sapphire Blue' to a shadier spot where the soil stays a bit more moist. I had them in full, baking sun and very dry, fast draining soil and they did not do very well. They survived, but eventually were faded in color.

JanFRN, I hope you have wonderful luck with yours. They are beautiful plants.

kniphofia, I am sorry that your eryngium planum did not return. Keep trying like I am.

Thank you both for your comments.