Knautia, Scabiosa 'Melton Pastels'

I love this plant. I grew them from Thompson & Morgan seeds, and have several of them in my mixed perennial border around our vegetable g...Read Morearden. They have been there for 3 years, and I have not found them particularly invasive, though they do become very large plants (to 4.5 feet in my garden, and about 3.5 feet wide).

Butterfly Bush has nothing on these plants! The flowers seem to attract them like, as they say, magnets. The bees seem to love them too, but the butterfly visitors, in particular, are truly spectacular. From 4 plants I grew to flowering, I got three different colors, each equally pleasing. I may not have so many babies coming up as I tend to snap off the spent flowers as I wander about my garden. For those who like a tidier look in their garden, a woodland border or natural area might be a better place to locate these plants.

Mine have been reliable bloomers and a welcome addition to the garden.

I planted the Melton Pastels 2 years ago. They seemed a cheap & pretty flower. They grow extremely tall. The plant tag says they grow ...Read More12-24"; more like 36". They get really spindly, and they HAVE SPREAD ALL OVER My flower bed. They spread by rootlets & have gone from 2 plants to 50 plants. The past 2 seasons, I have ripped out some of the babies & left the main plants. Tonight, I finally gave up & ripped every last one of them out. This plant is highly invasive.