Eryngium Giganteum 'Miss Wilmott's Ghost'

One of the most impressive summer plants you can grow in the UK, with unbelievable metallic silvery-blue leaves, flowers and stems. The word 'giganteum' refers to the flowers, not the plants which are rarely more than 0.6 metres high. They are so named because famous gardener Miss Wilmott used to walk around friends' gardens secretly scattering the seeds from her pocket. Surprisingly, and totally unexpectedly (so please remember this...), they come up, if sown early enough, the first year with soft green leaves, nothing at all like the final plant. They later die down to a hardy tuber to overwinter. But, surprise, surprise....the following year erupts the fabulous metallic, silver-grey familiar foliage, followed by the amazing flower heads. Everyone should grow one!