Description
Eriogonum giganteum var. giganteum| Saint Catherine’s Lace
Saint Catherine’s Lace, also called Giant Buckwheat, is a native to California’s Channel Islands- Catelina Island. St. Catherine’s Lace is a perennial sub-shrub, with woody lower stems and herbaceous new growth.
The flowers are densely packed in large, rather flat clusters that rise boldly above the gray-green to silvery white foliage. The domed blooms are covered densely in carpets of clustered tiny white to pink-blushed flowers, that fade to brick red/brown and can be used in dried flower arrangements.. Each flower is only a few millimeters in diameter. The cluster’s texture suggests a heavily embroidered lace, hence the common name ‘St. Catherine’s Lace’.
All forms of Buckwheat grow on dry slopes and rocky cliffs in coastal sage scrub plant communities, as well as in hot inland gardens. While its native soils are rocky and well-drained, it thrives even in clay (with extra water) and requires no fertilizer. St. Catherine’s Lace are hardy plants that survive dry summers, nutrient poor soils, and strong coastal winds. They also have the flexibility to thrive in water-wise garden conditions as they are surprisingly drought tolerant when left to their own devices.
Most often cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use in native plantings, wildlife gardens, and landscaping design projects.
Like all Buckwheats, St. Catherine’s Lace is a great habitat plant, as the many small flowers, with their abundant nectar, attract and support a wide range of native insect pollinators including native bees, pollinator flies, various wasps, and butterflies.
If desired, the brick red-brown flower clusters can be left in place until the birds have eaten most of the seeds. The spent flowers themselves can provide a nice touch of fall color in the autumn garden. Or the dried flower clusters can be cut and used to make a unique and dramatic addition to floral arrangements.
Type: Perennial
Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
Mature height: 8 ft
Mature width: 6-8 ft
Hardiness zones: 6-9