Perennials - Crimson Scabiosa Review

Crimson Scabiosa have 2-inch double blooms on 24-inch stems.  They prefer full sun and are hardy in zones 4 to 9.  The blossoms look like miniature pincushions and flower from early summer to mid fall, which was perfect for my landscaping needs.

I planted the flowers and they took off almost immediately.  They didn't seem to require much attention and they acclimated well to their sunny location.  The problem for me was that as they got larger, they grew unruly and began to look like glorified weeds (in my opinion).  Then, when the blossoms did appear, they were half the size I was expecting.  The overall result was that it looked like a large mass of weeds with pretty wine-red blossoms sprinkled all over.  Nothing wrong with that, per se.  It just wasn't the look I was going for.

Another issue for me was the amount of deadheading required.  There are so many small blooms that I had a hard time keeping up with removing the dead heads.  Then, once the plants were deadheaded, all that was left was a mass of weedy-looking foliage.  During the periods where there aren't so many flowers, the plant loses its charm and just looks kind of pitiful.

Ultimately, I decided that these weren't the right flowers for me and removed them easily.  Even though they didn't fit into my garden scheme, I would still give Crimson Scabiosa a weak recommendation because they do grow well, have a long blooming time, and are an interesting color.   If crimson is not your choice, Scabiosa also comes in pink and blue varieties.