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cotton thistle | Plant Finder | Fill My Garden

Home/Plants/Climbers

Plants > Climbers

cotton thistle

Onopordum acanthium

Pollinator Friendly

Genus: Onopordum
Family: Asteraceae
Common Names: Argentine thistle, down thistle, giant thistle, musk thistle, oak thistle, oat thistle, Queen Mary's thistle, Scotch thistle, Scots thistle, silver thistle, star thistle, thistle-upon-thistle

About this plant

O. acanthium is a robust, upright biennial to 3m tall, with oblong, spiny, cobwebby grey leaves to 30cm long, and rounded, thistle-like purple flower heads 5cm across in summer

Growing Information

Height

2.5-4 Metres

Spread

0.5-1 Metres

Hardiness

Foliage

Deciduous

Growing Conditions

Sunlight

Full Sun

Soil

ClayLoamSandy

AlkalineNeutral

Not Currently Available

This plant is not currently stocked at any garden centres on our platform.

Moisture

Well Drained

Aspect

East FacingWest Facing

Exposure

ShelteredExposed

Care Guide

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, well-drained neutral to slightly alkaline soil in full sun; may self-seed freely and is ideal for a gravel garden or wild areas

Pruning

No pruning required

Propagation

Propagate by seed in containers in a cold frame or in situ in autumn or spring

Pests

Slugs and snails may damage the foliage

Diseases

Generally disease free

Garden Uses

Uses

Ground CoverWildflower Meadow

Planting Places

Outdoor

Season of Interest

SpringSummer

Size & Characteristics

Height

2.5-4 Metres

Spread

0.5-1 Metres

Habit

Bushy

Time to Full Height

Five To Ten Years