I planted bare root E. alpinum this spring and all that grew were the basal leaves. That's it. Is that common? I hope I get the flower next year.
It is very common for flowering plants not to bloom their first year after planting. Most of their energy is focused on becoming established. It should bloom for you next year.
I started Sea Holly from seed this season, planted it in containers. Now I find out that it doesn't always bloom the first year. I want it in the same container next year, but live in zone 4. What do I do with the containers over the winter?
After the plant has gone dormant, I would put the container some place cold but protected. In a container, think about duplicating a zone 6 environment. As a side note, sea holly has a very long taproot, which doesn't make it a good candidate for container growing, but that's no reason not to try. Should be an interesting experiment. Here's some more information on these plants: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/sea-holly/sea-holly-flowers.htm
Every leaf on my sea holly plant has yellow/brown edges. What causes that?
The plant may not be getting watered deeply enough, especially if it's in a container. If If grown in a pot, make sure to water until it comes out of the bottom. If planted in the ground, water 1-2 times a week for 20-30 minutes or until your watering system has put 2" of water onto the soil.
What did I do wrong? I planted sea holly for the first time this year. The flowers are silver and the stems greenish silver. I wanted them to be blue.
There are many different varieties of Sea Holly with colors that vary.
Check the tag that came with your plant.
Here is a link that lists some of the common cultivators.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/sea-holly/sea-holly-flowers.htm
I purchased 2 sea holly plants last year. I have not planted them in the ground and so far they have not produced any flowers and the leaves keep going yellow. What am I doing wrong?
Yellow leaves normally signal stress of some kind. There are a number of reasons why the leaves may turn yellow. One might be overwatering. Too much water causes yellowing of the leaves and mandevilla do not like overly wet feet. Another possibility could be too little water. If this is the case, the yellow leaves would be curling up as well. This article will help you determine which may be affecting your peach tree: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/plant-leaves-turn-yellow.htm
Stress would also prevent the plant from flowering as will a lack of phosphorus. Bone meal added to the soil will help should phosphorus be too low. A soil test will let you know for sure.
Do they need to be protected in winter?
There are several cultivators of Eryngium.
Some are hardy down to zone 4 - 5. There are some varieties that are only hardy to zone 8.
If you can identify the variety that your are growing you can determine if it is winter hardy to your growing zone.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/sea-holly/sea-holly-flowers.htm
I planted a sea holly last year and it did really well with lots of blooms. Cut down to ground in winter as advised but it has not regrown this year. What could be the reason for this?
The stems are generally cut back in the fall, but leaving the evergreen leaves on the plant is recommended. These leaves help feed the roots.
Certainly give it some more time to see if the plant can grow back from the roots.
Many times I have though I'd lost a plant only to find tiny signs of life well into the growing season.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/sea-holly/sea-holly-flowers.htm