Pincushion flower 'Pink Mist'
Scabiosa columbaria 'Pink Mist' · Dipsacaceae
Lilac-pink pincushions on wiry stems above a low mound of cut leaves, from late spring until frost.
- Size
- 14 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late May to early October
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around pincushion flower 'Pink Mist'
The planner designed this bed around pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' × 3, pink
- 2 Winter heath × 13, white
- 3 Alpine aster × 5, purple
- 4 Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' × 3, white
- 5 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 8, tan
- 6 Silver sage × 1, silver leaves
- 7 Hardy gladiolus × 4, pink
Why this plant
- The only globes. The others are bells, daisies, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- In the middle. At 14 in it is the step between winter heath (10 in) in front and little bluestem 'The Blues' (3 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 20 weeks. From late May to early October.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by little bluestem 'The Blues' and swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet', the tallest plants on the plan. The flowers stay on the cool side of the palette: pink, purple, white and tan.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 1 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' goes in a border
At 14 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The pink partner of 'Butterfly Blue', with the same six months of flower. Deadhead it and it never stops. It needs good drainage in winter.
- Months of flower at the front
- Butterflies
- Cutting
What to plant with pincushion flower 'Pink Mist'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Pincushion flower 'Butterfly Blue': in flower together for 20 weeks, from late May.
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam': in flower together for 12 weeks, from late June.
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about pincushion flower 'Pink Mist'
Does pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' need sun or shade?
Pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to early October. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Late May to early October |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Mid May to early October |
| Zone 7 | Early May to early October |
| Zone 8 | Early May to early October |
| Zone 9 | Late April to early October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' be planted?
14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 14 in (35 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' plants do I need?
At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 9 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 9 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 28 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is there a native plant like pincushion flower 'Pink Mist'?
Pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Iceland poppy: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in narrower, flowers early May to late June.
- Blanket flower 'Goblin': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid June to early October, red, not pink.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after pincushion flower 'Pink Mist'?
Pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' is over by early October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Japanese onion 'Ozawa': from early October to early November, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall.
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
What does pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' look like in winter?
Pincushion flower 'Pink Mist' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Scabiosa
- Caucasian scabious 'Fama' Scabiosa caucasica 'Fama'
- Pincushion flower 'Butterfly Blue' Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: May · June · July · August · September · October
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 14 in (35 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 14 in (35 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to early October; globes; pink
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; grey-green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Dipsacaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.