The Oxymoron of Prickly Buns

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They don't call it Prickly Thrift for nothin'.  Acantholimon is the Latin name, borrowing from the Greek word akantha, or thorn (I only know this because I purchased my first pair of reading glasses today and was thus finally able read the definition in my new Latin for Gardeners book, which had up until then been lying around, mostly unopened, since Mother's Day).  Contrasting with Acantholimon's thorniness is the mound-like shape and delicate, soft pink blossoms.  The garden is replete with such dichotomies!  This corner site adjacent to the sidewalk is basically a sand bed (also greatly appreciated by Eriogonum jamesii).  Turns out in Wheat Ridge our soil is equal parts of sand and silt, not mostly clay as I had initially thought.  No wonder the soil was pretty easy to crack through that first year.  Thanks to Kenton Seth for so freely sharing this plant!