PlantFiles: Yellow Hardhead, Bighead Knapweed, Giant Knapweed, Armenian Basketflower, Lemon Fluff Knapweed
Centaurea macrocephala

I grow these flowers for use in dried arrangements. The "basket weave" pods look wonderful, with or without the flower still showing in the top.

I had about 10 of these plants in an area that was normal to dry in full sun. They grew wonderfully until we had two "wet" years in a row. Our ground literally has not dried out for about 2 years...Unbeknownst to us a chipmunk had dug a hole from a culvert in back of this hillside garden, which allowed water to divert into the garden itself and came out just below where these plants were. Because of the water load the whole area became saturated and killed every one of the Centaurea's. I also lost two very large Centaurea's in another garden when the water table rose.

Make sure to plant these where you can be sure of well-drained soil, otherwise if you have a couple wet years like here in the east, they'll be goners!

My plant is in it's second year and now has over a dozen flowers. the leaves are not particularly attractive but it's well worth it for the flowers, which are a lovely clear lemon yellow.
The buds are also very interesting, even if you have to get close to the plants to appreciate them.
Of course it's a bit over three feet tall so you need a fair bit of space to enjoy this plant.

I was attracted to this plant when I saw it in a seed catalog under the name 'Armenian Basket Flower', probably due to the unusual pattern of the bud and flower base. The plants survived the winter, but have not thrived in the less than fertile spot where they reside. I have, however, seen them doing quite well in another garden in our small Alaskan town.

One should use caution when introducing this plant to the garden. It is considered a noxious weed in Washington state, and others, I'm sure. One might be well-served to clip the spent flower heads if this plant thrives in your area, so as not to introduce it to the wild.

This bold perennial adds an informal touch to the garden. The foliage is course, and strong stems support the large 3-4 inch flowers. The yellow thistle-like blooms can reach a height of 4 feet and the scaly base below the petals adds an interesting touch. This is an excellent plant for the back of the border, and will attract loads of butterflies. It prefers a sunny location and well-drained soil. It’s hardy from zones 9-3 and quite tolerant of dry conditions