Knautia macedonica Red Cherries
Small crimson pincushions on thin branching stems, held so loosely that they seem to hover. Knautia macedonica 'Red Cherries' is a deeper, more saturated red than the usual knautia magenta, each flower head three to four centimetres across with a domed centre of tiny florets. Below sits a low rosette of soft, lobed grey-green leaves. Flowering runs December to March.
Because the stems are so fine, this plant weaves between others instead of blocking them, which makes it ideal for a border that should look gathered rather than arranged. Use it in cottage and meadow-style planting, in gravel gardens, or through grasses. Bees and butterflies work the flowers constantly, and the stems are excellent cut, lasting well in a small vase.
Full sun and free-draining soil give the sturdiest stems. Poor and stony ground suits it and it is fairly drought tolerant once established, though it dislikes soil that stays wet through winter. Space plants 40 cm apart. Expect three or four strong years rather than a decade, and let a few heads set seed so replacements come up around the parent.
Reaches 0.4 to 0.9 m tall depending on soil, with a spread of around 0.4 m.
Trimming: Shear the whole plant back by half in midsummer when flowering thins, and it will produce a second wave into autumn. Cut down to the basal rosette in late autumn or winter.
Deadheading: Deadhead through the season to keep buds coming, then stop in late summer and let the last flowers ripen. Because the plant is short lived, that seed is how a stand keeps going.
Fertilising: Feed sparingly or not at all. A light general fertiliser in early spring suits poor soil, and anything richer produces long soft stems that lean over their neighbours.
Watering: Water through the first summer while establishing, then only in extended dry weather. Winter wet in heavy ground is far more likely to kill it than a dry January.
Pest Control: Aphids gather on the thin flowering stems in spring and hose off. Slugs and snails graze the basal rosette, particularly on young plants.
Disease Management: Powdery mildew greys the lower leaves in humid weather or on crowded plants, and the midsummer shear removes most of it in one pass. Crown rot follows waterlogged winter soil.
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