Armenian Basketflower (Centaurea macrocephala) Info
This native of the Caucusus is a perennial in zones 3-9 (much of the US).  It flowers on stalks up to 5 feet high from May-July, attracting butterflies.  The 3-4 inch wide flowers and unusual, basket-like buds are good for drying and make nice wands, because the stalk is good and thick but is not prickly like most thistles. The spikes are blunt, so you could consider this a pushover of a Mars plant. The plant forms a clump that can produce 40 large flowers; each flower makes over 200 seeds.  This would make a great partner for Artichoke thistle, which gets purple thistle-type blooms.

How to grow it: Sow in spring or summer. Plant the seed as deep as the seed is wide to germinate in 2 weeks. Transplant to full sun and soil on the dry side.  This plant reseeds if it is happy, so cut off flowers if you do not want a lot of babies. General growing info.