Identify this plant?

I saw this plant in Haddonfield, New Jersey.  Can you identify it?  It was about five feet tall and covered in bumble bees.  image

48 thoughts on “Identify this plant?”

  1. Echinops, globe thistle, tamed for the perennial garden. Old fashioned and lovely perennial bed plant. I had it in my perennial bed for years, was not a spreader there. Nice bright blue. I am quite familiar with it.

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  4. Hey,

    Fabulous Blog, always making me smile and timely for my arrival home from the day’s labours, thank you :)

    Yes indeed, definitely thistle says I, living in Wales, UK. It is the national emblem of Scotland, and they are ferocious Celts, and proud of it its thorny barb and lavender hue. The flower has inspired many a visionary writer and poet laureate, and many kilted warrior has fought and died under its bloom. And yet for all its emblazoned might and symbolic worth, it is considered an unwanted wild plant and a spikey spreading problem. The roots dig very deep and they can be difficult to remove. Weed killer works, but, in a short time the problem returns. I think this is why the English built Hadrian’s Wall so as to keep the Scottish thistle at bay lol :)

    Have a wonderful afternoon :)

    Namaste

    DN – 17/07/2015

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      • :) not in the slightest, thank you.

        I’m more an Englishman living abroad in Wales rather than a true blue Celt. As an Englishman, my national flower is a Red Rose, whilst a Welshman’s would be a Daffodil. The Scots chose a Thistle. I found this on the Visit Scotland tourism website, just for interest, may I…?

        ‘The thistle may only be a humble weed, but it is the emblem of the Scottish nation. The prickly-leaved, pink or purple-flowered ‘Scotch’ thistle is, along with tartan, perhaps the most identifiable symbol of all things Scottish. But how did the thistle earn its place in the heart of the Scots?

        In truth, no-one knows, but legend has it that a sleeping party of Scots warriors were saved from ambush by an invading Norse army when one of the attackers trod on a thistle with his bare feet. His cries raised the alarm, the roused Scots duly defeated the invaders, and the thistle was adopted as the symbol of Scotland. Unfortunately, there is no historical evidence for this, but Scots, like other nations, love a good story.

        There is also some confusion as to which species of thistle can claim the title of the national symbol. The spear thistle, stem-less thistle, cotton thistle, Our Lady’s thistle, musk thistle and melancholy thistle, have all been suggested as possible candidates.

        A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle by Hugh MacDiarmid, published in 1926, is one of the most famous works by a Scottish poet. The long and winding poem, in which MacDiarmid contemplates the state of the nation, varies in tone between mysterious, lyrical, serious and comic. It is essential reading for a visit to Scotland.

        Keep your eyes peeled and you will see the thistle emblem cropping up all over Scotland, from the international rugby team’s strip, businesses and organisations to the emblems of police constabularies and football teams.’ (http://www.visitscotland.com/about/arts-culture/uniquely-scottish/thistle)

        Da da da the mighty Thistle!

        Hadrian’s Wall was built as a defence against Scottish armies invading the north of England. It was the Roman answer to The Great wall of China. It didn’t work, the threat of the thistle spread…to a fields near you apparently… :)

        Namaste

        DN – 17/07/2015

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