Pincushion Flower Seeds — Scabiosa atropurpurea Salmon Queen

Soft, Warm, and Utterly Charming — a Pincushion Flower in the Loveliest Shade

Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Salmon Queen' is a beautifully soft and warm-toned pincushion flower that brings a gentle, romantic quality to the cottage garden and cutting patch. The blooms are a lovely warm salmon-pink — a colour that sits perfectly between peach and rose — each one a perfectly domed pincushion of tiny florets with delicate white stamens that catch the light across the bloom. Held on long, wiry stems above the foliage, 'Salmon Queen' is an outstanding cut flower that combines effortlessly with other cottage garden favourites. Bees and butterflies adore it, and once you start cutting, the plant just keeps on giving right through to autumn.

Why Gardeners Love It

• 🌸 Warm, romantic salmon-pink blooms — a beautiful soft colour between peach and rose, with delicate white stamens across each perfectly domed flower head
• ✂️ Outstanding cut flower — long wiry stems and excellent vase life; 'Salmon Queen' combines beautifully with roses, cosmos, sweet peas, and other cottage favourites
• 🐝 Exceptional for pollinators — bees and butterflies are strongly attracted to the flowers throughout summer; one of the best annuals for beneficial insects
• 🌱 Easy to grow — direct sow or start in trays; Scabiosa is a reliable and generous annual that flowers prolifically with minimal fuss
• 🌿 Long flowering season — blooms from early summer through to autumn; the more you cut, the more it blooms
• 🎨 Elegant, airy habit — light, graceful stems and foliage give the plant a delicate quality that works beautifully in naturalistic and cottage-style plantings

Growing Tips for New Zealand

Sow Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Salmon Queen' direct where it is to flower in spring, or start in trays in late winter for earlier blooms. Sow onto moist seed-raising mix and cover lightly. Thin or transplant seedlings to 30cm apart. Scabiosa prefers a sunny position with well-drained, preferably alkaline soil — add a little lime if your soil is acidic. It is quite drought tolerant once established and performs well across most NZ regions. Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering. An excellent companion for roses, sweet peas, cosmos, and other cottage garden favourites.

What's in the Packet

Each packet contains 8 seeds of Pincushion Flower Salmon Queen (Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Salmon Queen'), with growing instructions included.