yellow thistle
Cirsium horridulum
USDA zones8 to 11
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to wet soil
Size1 to 4 feet tall
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, winter
- Bloom color
- Pink , yellow
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Yellow thistle (Cirsium horridulum) is an annual for pollinator gardens, low maintenance beds, and meadows. This plant likes full or part sun and dry to wet, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows 2 to 5-1/2 feet tall on a branching stem with large yellowish or red-purple flower heads. The clasping leaves are spiny, so wear gloves when you work near it. It is not a favorite of deer or rabbits, though hungry ones will eat almost anything. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds visit the blooms.
Pairs well with Butterfly milkweed, Switchgrass, and Joe-pyeweed.
Native range
AL, AR, CT, DE, and 19 more places. See all 23
AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, and VA.