Centaurea cyanus
cornflower
- approx 200 seeds
- £1.87 £2.49
- In stock (shipped within 2-3 working days)
- 3 × packets of seeds
- £5.25 £7.00 £1.75 each
- In stock (shipped within 2-3 working days)
Delivery options
- Seed Packets (only) £2.99
- Position: full sun
- Soil: moist but well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering: July to September or May to July
- Hardiness: hardy annual
- Sow: March to May or September to October
Piercing, bright blue flowers with ruffled petals and violet-blue centres appear from early to late summer among lance-shaped, mid-green leaves. Once a common sight in cornfields, this lovely annual is perfect for naturalising in a sunny wildflower meadow and is a magnet for butterflies and bees. The flower petals of Centaurea cyanus are edible and have a clove-like taste.
Cornflowers prefer poorer soils, so do not use fertiliser. Support taller stems if necessary and deadhead regularly to prolong flowering. In autumn cut the faded flower heads down to the ground and compost the dead stems. Seeds sown in autumn and over-wintered in a cold frame will produce plants that will flower earlier in the year than those sown in spring.
Surface-sow seeds in trays filled with good quality compost, and germinate at 50-61°F (10°C-16°C). Pot on when they have put on their first true leaves and harden off before planting out after the frosts have passed. Alternatively, sow directly in late spring or early summer, and thin out to 30cm as they grow.
