Organic Blue Cornflower Centaurea Cyanus (100 seeds)
Centaurea cyanus, commonly known as cornflower or bachelor's button, is an annual plant native to temperate Europe but widely naturalized outside its native range. It grows up to 40-90 cm tall with grey-green branched stems and lanceolate leaves that are 1-4 cm long. The flowers are most commonly an intense blue color and arranged in flowerheads (capitula) of 1.5-3 with a ring of a few large, spreading ray florets surrounding a central cluster of disc florets. The blue pigment is protocyanin, which in roses is red. The nectar of Centaurea cyanus is very sweet with a sugar content of 34%, making it highly appreciated by beekeepers. The seeds of Centaurea cyanus are one of the favorite foods of the European goldfinch. The plant was once regarded as a weed and blunted sickles during harvesting, hence its name.
- Sow outdoors, March-May or August-October, where they are to flower, 0.5cm (¼") deep, directly into finely-prepared, well-drained soil, which has already been watered.
- Seedlings usually appear in 14-28 days.
- Thin seedlings to 20cm (8") apart. Water well until plants are established.
- Cornflowers have an upright posture that helps them fit in tight spaces.Spread throughout the garden, as cornflower nectar is unusually sweet, and thus a preferred food source for many beneficial insects.
- For a continuous display, make sowings at two to three-week intervals.
- Sowings made in curves, rather than straight lines, often create a more pleasing effect.
- Flowers: June-September.
- Late summer and autumn sowings will flower the following year, often earlier than spring sowings.
