Jasione spp.

Europe, Mediterranean, and western Asia

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Drought Tolerant Container Friendly

HardinessZones 5–8

Overview

Jasione spp. is a genus of about twenty species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbs in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, native to Europe, the Mediterranean, and western Asia. Despite the resemblance, they are not true scabious; the small blue flowers are gathered into dense, rounded heads about 0.5 to 1.5 inches (1.5 to 4 cm) across, each head made of many narrow, five-lobed tubular flowers with protruding styles that give a soft, pincushion look. Plants form low rosettes or tufts of narrow leaves and send up wiry flowering stems mostly 4 to 16 inches (10 to 40 cm) tall. The flowers are usually sky-blue, occasionally white or pink, and appear through summer. The genus grows on dry, sandy, acid soils in heath, grassland, cliffs, and rocky places, often near coasts. Plants are short-lived in rich or damp soils, performing more reliably on lean, sharply drained ground. J. montana (sheep bit) is an annual or biennial, while J. laevis is a longer-lived perennial.

Native Range

Jasione spp. is native to Europe, the Mediterranean region, and western Asia. The plants grow on dry, sandy, acid soils in heath, grassland, and coastal cliffs, with some species widespread across western Europe.

Suggested Uses

Jasione spp. is used in rock gardens, gravel gardens, sandy and coastal plantings, and the front of sunny borders. The blue pincushion heads suit wildflower and pollinator plantings on lean soils. Compact plants grow in troughs and containers of free-draining mix.

How to Identify

Plants form low rosettes or tufts of narrow leaves with wiry, mostly leafless flowering stems 4 to 16 inches (10 to 40 cm) tall. Each stem ends in a dense, rounded head of many small blue, five-lobed tubular flowers with protruding styles, giving a pincushion outline about 0.5 to 1.5 inches (1.5 to 4 cm) across. The rounded blue heads on a bellflower relative of dry sandy ground separate Jasione spp. from true scabious and from sea hollies.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height4" - 1'4"

Width/Spread4" - 10"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Summer

Flowering occurs through summer, roughly June to August, with rounded heads of sky-blue flowers, occasionally white or pink. Individual heads last several weeks, and removing spent heads can extend the display. Bees, butterflies, and other insects visit the nectar-bearing flowers.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

sky-blue, occasionally white or pink

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand rocky loam

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

1-2 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Jasione spp. grows in full sun in light, sandy, sharply drained, acid to neutral soils and tolerates poor, dry, and rocky ground. The genus withstands drought and coastal exposure once established and is hardy in roughly USDA zones 5 to 8 for the perennial species. Rich, fertile, or wet soils shorten plant life and can cause rot, so lean ground suits the plants more reliably. Annual and biennial species renew themselves by self-sown seed. Propagation is by seed sown in spring or by division of perennial clumps in spring.

Pruning

Spent flower heads can be sheared off to tidy the plant and encourage more blooms. Perennial clumps are cut back after flowering or in late winter. Annual and biennial plants are cleared once they have set and shed seed.