Knautia macedonica 'Melton Pastels'

Planting Advice for Knautia Macedonian scabious:

• Best planted in a well-drained soil in full sun, Knautia does have a tendency to grow rather laxly so appreciates a little support from other plants or pea sticks.
• Well-drained soil is essential and add plenty of humus to poor soils to retain moisture. Remember to allow plenty of room for growth as these scabious may reach a metre or so in height.
• Water your potted plant well.
• Dig a hole a little deeper and 3 x wider than the nursery pot.
• Add a soil conditioner such as well-rotted manure to the earth removed from the hole if necessary.
• Remove the plant from its pot and tease out a few of the roots.
• Dig a planting hole and sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi (Rootgrow) into the base.
• Place your plant in the hole at the same level at the pot.
• Refill the hole with the earth removed (backfilling).
• Firm in the soil with your heel, avoiding the root ball.
• Water well and mulch around the base of the plant with a collar, compost, gravel, bark etc.

Aftercare Advice for scabious:

• Keep newly planted scabious well-watered until established .
• Give plants a dressing of fish blood and bone in the autumn.
• Support with twiggy pea sticks or similar support before the flowers appear.
• Mulch with well-rotted manure or compost in autumn and keep well-watered.

Pruning Advice for Knautia:

• Prune some of the oldest stems back to the ground when they have reached more than a metre, leaving later ones intact.
• When the newer stems start to flower, take out more to make room for them.
• Cut down to the ground in autumn.