Joyful Re-find Of My Mystery Scabiosa

     About seven or eight years ago I had a stunning variety of scabiosa.  I enjoyed it for only a year or two before a harsh winter took it away from me.  I never saw it offered for sale again.  For years I have inquired about it at nurseries.  Most people were puzzled by my description. "Never heard of it, don't know what you're talking about."  ONE person, thankfully, validated my sanity, and said she saw a scabiosa answering my description at a garden in England.  It was truly lovely, but she had never seen it in this country.  I had given up on ever finding it again.  Until last week when I was taken by sweet surprise at Sunnyside Gardens in Saratoga Springs.  I knew the minute I saw it that my search was over.  And here it is in my garden, bringing me delight every morning when I go to "check on it."

      

It's blossom is a paler blue than the scabiosa that is common to our gardens and is, in fact, the color of blue flax.  The blossom itself is larger, up to two inches across.  The petals are larger, and there is a more distinct center.  The stem and foliage which support it are stronger and somewhat glossier than the more common scabiosa (Scabiosa Columbaria Butterfly Blue).  I offer a picture of that familiar plant for the sake of comparison:

     Determining exactly what kind of scabiosa it is, has been a challenge.  The descriptive tag that came with the plant I just purchased reads, "Scabiosa, Pincushion Flower, House Hybrids," too general a description to be helpful.  I found my eight year old tag which I keep in the Envelope of Lost Causes, and it was named "Scabiosa Caucasica 'Kompliment."  I believe they are the same Scabiosa.
     My reunion with this flower was the highlight of my week and one of the highlights of all my gardening experience.  I hope that it likes my garden well enough to call it "home."  I'm going to hold on to that Envelope of Lost Causes!