Cerinthe major Purpurascens from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, a bee-friendly plant with blue-green leaves and purple tubular flowers, grows in a garden beside a timber-framed cottage.
Cerinthe major Purpurascens from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, a bee-friendly plant with blue-green leaves and purple tubular flowers, grows in a garden beside a timber-framed cottage.Cerinthe major Purpurascens by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features purple-blue tubular flowers and green foliage, attracts pollinators, and grows beautifully near fences or among other plants. Grown from seeds of this bee-friendly plant.Cerinthe major Purpurascens from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features green and blue-tinged leaves with tubular purple flowers, thriving outdoors in soil—ideal for bees and beautiful against a wooden fence with lush greenery.A close-up of Cerinthe major Purpurascens from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, showing broad blue-green leaves and deep purple tubular flowers. Green foliage surrounds the plant with a wooden fence in the background.A close-up of a mixed flower arrangement featuring Cerinthe major Purpurascens by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, green Bells of Ireland, and white petals, set before a black frame with a partially visible black-and-white photo.Close-up of Cerinthe major Purpurascens by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd—a bee-friendly plant with purple-blue, layered petals and lush green foliage in the background.Close-up of Cerinthe major Purpurascens by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, a bee-friendly plant with clusters of small, bell-shaped purple flowers and green leaves set against a blurred brown backdrop.
Annual Pollinator AGM

Cerinthe major Purpurascens

Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens' — from Greek keros (wax) + anthos (flower)

£2.40approx. 12 seeds

Architectural hardy annual with silver-blue leaves shading to purple, crowned with drooping tubular bells of midnight purple — the bumblebees' favourite cottage garden flower.

Sowing months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Height
45–60cm
Spread
30–40cm
Position
Full sun
Soil
Poor, well-drained soil
Grow guide
How to grow Cerinthe major Purpurascens
Read the full guide →
About this variety

There is genuinely nothing else like it in a cottage garden. Thick, almost succulent stems lined with rounded blue-grey leaves that turn progressively more violet towards the top, so the foliage is nearly as ornamental as the flowers.

The flowers themselves are drooping tubular bells in deep purple-blue, half hidden under bracts of the same colour. Bumblebees adore it — a patch of cerinthe in flower hums audibly through summer, and it is one of the most reliable bee plants you can raise from seed.

It is easy if you respect the taproot: sow direct, or into deep pots that can be planted out intact. Lean, well-drained ground suits it better than rich, and it is drought-tolerant once away. It self-seeds enthusiastically, so once you have it you tend to keep it.

Plant alongside

Cerinthe major Purpurascens pairs beautifully with these cottage garden classics

Agastache Liquorice Blue
Agastache Liquorice Blue
£2.20
Calendula Touch of Red
Calendula Touch of Red
£2.50
Anchusa Blue Angel
Anchusa Blue Angel
£2.25

RHS Plants for Pollinators

This plant has been assessed by the Royal Horticultural Society and recommended as especially beneficial to bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Growing plants like this directly supports UK pollinator populations — something close to our hearts at Salle Moor Hall Farm, where we see the difference a cottage garden full of the right plants can make.

Learn more at RHS.org.uk →

RHS Award of Garden Merit

The RHS Award of Garden Merit is given to plants of outstanding excellence for ordinary garden use. To earn this award a plant must be of good constitution, available to the gardening public, and perform reliably across a range of UK growing conditions. It is one of the most trusted plant recommendations in British gardening and a genuine mark of quality.

Learn more at RHS.org.uk →