{"product_id":"scabiosa-atropurpurea-black-knight","title":"Scabiosa atropurpurea Black Knight","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScabiosa atropurpurea 'Black Knight'\u003c\/strong\u003e is dramatic. Bold, dark plum pincushion-like flowers, some with sharply contrasting white stigmas, appear from summer to autumn. Bees and butterflies are drawn to them, so are humans! They’ve got almost everything: colour, scent, a long flowering season, cutting and, if so inclined, a dye plant too!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e🌸 Flowering: June to October\u003cbr\u003e📏 Height: to 90cm\u003cbr\u003e🌿 Short-lived perennial, grow as an annual\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSow:\u003c\/strong\u003e two approaches to choose from. Under cover early or late in the year, in trays, lightly cover the seeds, keep at 18-25C. Pot up when large enough and grow on until frost is past and you can plant them out.  Or direct sow, in April or May, thinning seedlings 15-30cm apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrow:\u003c\/strong\u003e they like well-drained soil in a sunny spot. Regular deadheading or cutting will prolong flowering. Cutting back faded flower stems in autumn helps maintain plant health. A light mulch can protect the roots over winter. However, for reliable flowers it’s best grown as an annual.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnjoy:\u003c\/strong\u003e I’ve done some dyeing, you need a lot of flowers, and that is something that Black Knight does very well.  But for pure pleasure seeing these amongst the other flowers is drama enough for me.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e🏡 In your garden\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e•    Urban and courtyard gardens\u003cbr\u003e•    Coastal gardens\u003cbr\u003e•    Cottage and informal gardens\u003cbr\u003e•    Patio and container plants\u003cbr\u003e•    Meadow and naturalistic planting\u003cbr\u003e•    Pollinator planting\u003cbr\u003e•    Flower borders and beds\u003cbr\u003e•    Cutting gardens\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e✂️ Cut flower\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e•    Fresh vase life of up to 10 days\u003cbr\u003e•    Cut when buds are just beginning to open and pop into lukewarm water\u003cbr\u003e•    Strip the lower leaves and cut the stem at a diagonal before putting in a vase\u003cbr\u003e•    Change the vase water and trim the stems every couple of days\u003cbr\u003e•    Fabulous paired with contrasting bright or lime-green foliage and flowers\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e🐝 Pollinator friendly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e•    RHS Plants for Pollinators recommended\u003cbr\u003e•    Honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies frequently visit\u003cbr\u003e•    They attract a range of butterflies, so you could see the garden favourites (Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Meadow Brown and Common Blue) stopping by\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e🎨 Natural dye plant\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e•    These can yield a wide range of shades ranging from deep greens and teals to blues, purples, and pinks. It all depends on the mordants and pH modifiers used\u003cbr\u003e•    Dried flower heads are more concentrated. Follow a low-and-slow route, simmering (not boiling) for an hour before leaving the flowers to steep overnight before straining.\u003cbr\u003e•    Start with tannin then alum mordants\u003cbr\u003e•    Add the wet fabric to the dye bath and bring it back to a gentle simmer for an hour, then leave it in the pot to cool completely before hanging in the shade to dry\u003cbr\u003e•    Even then the colours are considered fugitive. The tones shift and fade over time when exposed to sunlight and frequent washing. A small amount of iron water can improve the lightfastness but will shift the colour.\u003cbr\u003e•    For pinks and maroons add a splash of white vinegar to the dye bath, for the greens add a little sodium bicarbonate. Remember that these colours will shift again if you then use iron water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e📜 Traditional uses\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e•    The name Scabiosa comes from the Latin scabies, meaning “itch”, reflecting the plant's long-standing traditional use for treating itchy skin conditions.\u003cbr\u003e•    This is a historical use only, not a recommendation for medicinal use.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MoreVeg Seeds","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67599128264980,"sku":"FLWSBK","price":1.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0918\/3133\/7236\/files\/ScabosiaBlackKnight.jpg?v=1790759116","url":"https:\/\/moreveg.co.uk\/products\/scabiosa-atropurpurea-black-knight","provider":"MoreVeg Seeds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}