These are usually grown on the vast area where people are not traveling. The flowers has been nicely grown at Alnwick Gardensand Good looking. These are mostly seen in Northumberland.
Take a look at the image below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/18909153@N08/4911376072/
I've never heard of these. When I did a search, it didn't come up. They may be known by different names; most plants have more than one they are referred to. It looks a bit like a thistle plant.