If you're referring to "sea holly" -- it is a perennial where I am.

It depends which species is in question. Some Eryngiums are perennial, others are biennial, yet others are annual. E. leavensworthii, the one Suzy is talking about, is annual and a N American native.

I like them but I don't have any. I don't have the sun, the drainage or the space.

I think it depends which sea holly, Porks. For sure, ones such as rattlesnake master (e,yuccifolium) and 'Miss Wilmott's Ghost' (e.giganteum) are much more like biennials for me, while planum and e,bougattii , while not exactly long-lived, can still last for 4-5 years...although they seed around so prolifically, it can be hard to tell. I completely love these plants because in my rather rubbish soil, they do really well. There is a lot of variety too. I am much less familiar with the large aloe-leaved types such as eburneum and e,pandanifolium...but I am definitely going to try them out with opuntia and agaves (which are also very new to me...in fact, I had no idea how hardy some of the opuntias and century plants could be).

eta - our posting has overlapped.

Yep, Floral, these have a very specific ambience which would not sit happily in lushly green East coast gardens...but in dry (and flat and open east anglia, they are stalwarts).

I visited one of Piet Oudolph's gardens, yesterday ( the Millenium garden at Pensthorpe), and was more surprised at what was missing. Not a campanula, geum or umbellifer or even salvias apart from nemorosas, to be seen...but loads of huge watery types I can only fantasise about - ligularias, filipendulas, persicarias, molinias. I was really astonished to see no rudbeckias, heliopsis, silphiums (I downloaded the plant list).

E. yuccifolium is pretty long-lived for me: some of my original plants are about 7-8 years old at this point, with the basal foliage about 3 feet in diameter and the flower stalks getting close to 6 feet in height (although they never stay upright for long). They reseed pretty happily, but not to the point of annoyance!

I grew a few perennial varieties in a previous garden but they don't suit my current one. They also self seeded rather vigorously for me and in a gravel and paver walkway - too hard to remove!

I see (and have grown) a lot of eryngos...just not this one. Not ever, either in gardens , nurseries or magazines...even though it is a beauty. I wonder if I am missing something crucial or if it is just one of those plants which never seems to gain traction. A mystery.

It seems that I can no longer post photos here, and houzz has been rude to me twice when I was able to find a way to report my problem. Im wondering if it's because I posted a photo of the Palestinian flag as my profile picture and I think that's why. I don't know what to do at this point. I wanted to post pics of some awesome Eryngiums we have here in the states but houzz wont let me. The person at houzz 'helping' me said that houzz is not compatable with mobile devices, but Ive always used a phone and posted pics on my mobile device all the years Ive been here. They led me to believe I could have better luck with the houzz app.and it was no help at all. Im seriously tired of this BS.

O FFS, I was hoping you would chime in Jay. Yep, have also been the victim of the HOUZZ banhammer...more than once, hence the multiple name changes. And yep, posting from a mobile failing is BS.

Do a sock puppet account. You will need a different URL tho' We miss your photos.

I really must grow yuccifolium again, Sah. Mine never got taller than 3 feet and I transferred my loyalty to e,horridum (probably cos of the name!)...although, tbf, that was also the reason I grew rattlesnake master.

I am growing E. ravenelii 'Charleston Blue', from Plant Delights, in heavy very wet clay. It's done OK, not as well as I hoped, but is very nice in late summer. From the site: Eryngium ravenelii is critically imperiled in its native wetland alkaline habitat from South Carolina to northern Florida.

Suzy Jackson my yuccifolium maxes out around 3 feet. That's normal. I may make another puppet account. I'll pretend to be a British cottage gardener Sassy Higgens. I cant comment while my autocorrect is turned on. Hence the awful spelling Maybe I can post photos with the auto correct on?🤔

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I have this one, it's dwarf and very blue. I can't find where I bought it to get its name, but since it's small I found a niche for it in my very wet chilly garden.

Jay, I hope you get your pictures to post, your garden is so great !