(Centaurea cyanus ‘Tall Pink’)
Tall Blue Cornflower is an annual flower native to Europe that grows in open fields and along railroads from coast to coast of the United States. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 1-3' and features grayish green, blade-like foliage, and long stems topped by a 1” circlet of tiny lavender blue flowers with a darker center. This plant attracts bees and butterflies, provides bird forage, tolerates drought and frost, makes dye, self-sows, and is used as a cut flower!
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General Information
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Germination
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Seedlings
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Harvesting
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Seed Saving
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Companion Planting
Genus: Centaurea
Species: cyanus
Variety: Tall Pink Cornflower
Also Known As: Bachelor's Button
Native to: Albania, Bulgaria, East Aegean Is., Greece, Italy, Lebanon-Syria, Romania, Sicilia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Yugoslavia
Introduced into: Alabama, Alaska, Alberta, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, British Columbia, Buryatiya, California, Cape Provinces, Central European Rus, Chita, Colombia, Colorado, Connecticut, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, District of Columbia, East European Russia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Is., Finland, Florida, France, Free State, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greenland, Hawaii, Honduras, Hungary, Idaho, Illinois, India, Indiana, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Irkutsk, Jawa, Kamchatka, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Khabarovsk, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Krym, Louisiana, Magadan, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Southeast, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Morocco, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northern Provinces, Northwest European R, Norway, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Pennsylvania, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Québec, Rhode I., Sakhalin, Sardegna, South Carolina, South Dakota, South European Russi, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Tennessee, Texas, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Utah, Uzbekistan, Vermont, Vietnam, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yakutskiya, Yukon
Grown as: Annual
Maturity (Blooms): Spring
Hardiness: Half Hardy. Cornflowers can handle light frost. In mild areas, the best cornflowers result from seeds sown in fall to bloom the next spring. In colder winter areas, where ground freezes, plant in early spring.
Crops: Spring, Fall
Growing Season: Short, Long
Growing Conditions: Cool, Warm. Cornflowers will thrive as long as the soil drains well and they receive enough light. They don't like hot temperatures.
Outdoor Growing Temp: 60°F - 80°F.
Min Outdoor Soil Temp: 55°F. Plant outdoors once soil reaches 55˚ F.
Start Indoors: No
Start Outdoors: Yes
Light: Sun min. 6 hours daily (Cool, Warm). Cornflowers grow best in full sun or very light shade.
Water: Low. Cornflowers are fairly drought tolerant but do benefit from the occasional watering, especially during periods or drought and hot weather.
Feeder: Light. Plants will remain more compact in less fertile soil but will grow in moderately rich soil as well.
Suitability: Drought tolerant, Tolerates light frost.
Small Gardens?: Yes.
Containers?: Yes. Choose a container at least 10" deep. Plants will need to be watered more often since containers dry out faster than garden beds.
Attracts beneficial insects?: Yes
Height: 24-36”
Spacing: 9-12”
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Water: Medium
USDA Zone: 3a-9b
Produces: grayish green, blade-like foliage and long stems topped by a 1-1½” circlet of tiny pale pink flowers with a darker pink center.
Suggested Varieties
(Trifolium incarnatum ‘Crimson’)
Crimson Clover is an annual flower native to Europe but grows across the U.S. in nearly every state. At maturity, this plant reaches a height of 1-3' and features hairy rosette unbranched stems, 1/2-1” heart-shaped leaflets, and 1-2 1/2” cylindrical flower heads that bare ½ vibrant red florets. This plant can be grown in a container, attracts bees and butterflies, is drought and frost tolerant, and provides forage to livestock!