Eryngium maritimum, Sea Holly

Common Name: Sea Holly

Although more closely related to the carrot than holly, Eryngium maritimum, more commonly known as Sea Holly, is instantly recognisable by its pale, bluish-green, holly-like leaves with their tough, waxy covering that looks like they are iced - arming it against the harsh coastal conditions it lives in.

The attractive round heads of powder-blue flowers, usually seen between July and September, are further shielded by substantial spiny bracts. Height is up to c60cm. The flowers and foliage have made it a popular architectural plant in gardens with sandy, dry soil, although it is becoming increasingly scarce in the wild; it only grows around the coastline of the UK and is almost absent from Scotland and the north-east of England.