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Blessed Thistle is a plant in the Aster family that is native to the Mediterranean region. The herb was widely cultivated in Medieval monastery gardens after King Charlemagne was visited by an angel. According to the legend, the King was instructed to fire an arrow into the air and whichever plant it came to rest upon was the one he should give to his soldiers who had the misfortune of contracting the plague. Whether or not the king took aim at the stand of thistle where the arrow landed is not known, but this is why the plant become "blessed."
Being an annual, Blessed Thistle is propagated by seed and germinates in one to three weeks. It thrives in any ordinary soil but cannot grow in the shade. Allow 2 feet each way when thinning out the seedlings. The seeds are usually sown in spring, but if the newly-ripened seeds are sown in September or October in sheltered situations, it is possible to have supplies of the herb green, both summer and winter.
Although this plant has fairly strong stems it often prefers a prostrate habit rather than standing upright. When it does manage to stand up it only grows to about two feet in height. The stems are reddish, fairly slender and much branched. The leaves are long and fairly narrow with very prominent central vein and irregular wavy margin that cuts almost to the central vein. They are dull mid green in color and covered with fine white spines and hairs. The flowers are small pale yellow and have the look that they are 'still to open' as the yellow portion is a small tuft of petals in the center of a network or white prickly spines that surround the flower like a crown of thorns - hence the name.
Pretty Wild Seeds are registered with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) under number 7529, so you can have confidence in both our products and advice. Although our products are listed in weights and acres, we can supply in additional quantities upon enquiry so if you need a larger supply, please don't hesitate to give us a call.
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We happily accept returns within 14 days from date of delivery. All returns must be received in the same condition and packaging we sent them. Postage charges will not be refunded on unwanted products.
You are solely responsible for ensuring the goods are returned to us. We will not be liable for returns that are lost in the post or lost for any other reason. If a product arrives damaged we will advise the customer how to return the item with all return costs covered by us. Replacements & refunds will be dispatched / issued on receipt of the returned items only.
Growing; Best sown in early spring. The seeds are large and easy to handle. Since seeds are large they can be directly sown after all danger of frost has passed. Allow two feet between plants.
If starting indoors begin in late winter with one seed per pot. These seeds are too large for seed trays. Plant about half inch deep. Germination usually takes about 14-21 days depending temperature. Grow on until plants are large enough to be hardened off then planted outside. See our General Growing instructions for more seeding details.
In zones below 8 seeds may be sown outside in late fall where they will germinate and produce a rosette which will overwinter and grow in spring. However this is not recommended for cool sites or locations. It is far better to grow and treat as a annual.
Location and Care; Really needs full sun. It is very tolerant of most soil types but needs good drainage will die in waterlogged soil. Water in well and daily until the plants are established then they are quite drought tolerant but will not produce an abundant crop of leaves or flowers with little water. Dip irrigation or a soaker hose is the best method to water once a day. The plants tend to sprawl with flowers and leaves creeping along the ground so allow plenty of room. Flowers until the first hard frost.
Harvesting; Harvest the leaves before the plant flowers. If leaf harvest is required the plant can be cut back 2-3 times during the growing season to promote more leaf growth. Some flowers should be left to create seed for next year but since the birds also like them ensure you harvest your seed before they do it for you. Make sure you wear gloves!
