Centaurea, Bachelor's Button, Cornflower 'Blue Boy'
Centaurea cyanus
| Family: | Asteraceae (ass-ter-AY-see-ee) (Info) |
| Genus: | Centaurea (sen-TAR-ee-uh) (Info) |
| Species: | cyanus (SY-an-us) (Info) |
| Cultivar: | Blue Boy |
Category:
Annuals
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Foliage:
Herbaceous
Succulent
Foliage Color:
Bronze
Height:
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)
Spacing:
9-12 in. (22-30 cm)
Hardiness:
Not Applicable
Where to Grow:
Danger:
N/A
Bloom Color:
Dark Blue
Bloom Characteristics:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
From seed; direct sow after last frost
Seed Collecting:
Collect seedhead/pod when flowers fade; allow to dry
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Berkeley, California
Irvine, California
Long Beach, California
Longmont, Colorado
Cordele, Georgia
Chicago, Illinois
Hinsdale, Illinois
Dubuque, Iowa
Peosta, Iowa
Brookville, Kansas
Sapphire, North Carolina
Cincinnati, Ohio
Painesville, Ohio
Denton, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
CHIMACUM, Washington
show allGardeners' Notes:
| Rating | Content |
|---|---|
| Positive | On Jul 13, 2015, crayondoom from Fargo, ND (Zone 4a) wrote: While I love the blue color this cornflower provides it is definitely not something for the front of the garden; it grew even taller than I expected. The bees love it though, so I will be planting this again next year in a different spot. |
| Positive | On Nov 25, 2008, CurtisJones from Broomfield, CO (Zone 5b) wrote: From your friends at Botanical Interests: Annual. Summer bloom. 20" - 24" tall. Full sun. Drought tolerant. The sky blue flowers of this tall plant are attractive as cut or dried flowers. Will "naturalize" - seed drops quite readily and produces another crop of flowers. Seed must have darkness to germinate. Sow at depth of 1/4". Seed to 1" apart and thin to 6" - 8" apart. Plants have fewer flowers when grown in rich, overfertilized soils. The worse the soil, the better! An additional fun story: When Napoleon forced Queen Louise of Prussia from Berlin, she hid her children in a corn field and kept them entertained and quiet by weaving wreaths of Cornflowers (Bachelor Button). One of the children, Wilhelm, ultimately became the emperor of Germany. Remembering his mother's bravery, he made th... read more |
| Neutral | On Mar 4, 2007, berrygirl from Braselton, GA (Zone 8a) wrote: Brought to America from Europe in the 17th century and known to have been cultivated by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. Plants will bloom throughout the growing season. Well maintained strain with all blue flowers. Extremely easy to grow and dries well. Self-seeding hardy annual, grows 2-3 ft tall. |
