I have the pleasure to grow the cotton thistle (onopordon acanthium) in my garden. It is a biennal Eurasian white hairy thistle having purple flowers; naturalized in North America. I appreciate it for its sculptural stature and its very peculiar vert-de-gris colour. It enhances the flowerings of plants around it. It reseeds itself abundantly and birds feed from the seeds and contribute to its propagation.
I also adopted the ornemental garlic. From its flowers to its foliage, the Ornamental Garlic never ceases to provide interest in my garden. The leaves of Ornamental Garlic are gray to blue-green in color. Each leaf is linear and flat but twisted. This swirled or curly effect becomes more pronounced with the new growth. The cup-shaped flowers can be seen on wiry stems held above the plant foliage.The flowers are very attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds; whereas the plant foliage or leaves make the plant of utmost interest to my gardening heart. I love the mariage of cotton thistle and decorative garlic!