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Cornflower 'Pinkie'
Cornflower 'Pinkie'
Seed Packet

Cornflower 'Pinkie'

Centaurea cyanus
Once a weed of cornfields, bachelor's buttons now flourish in gardens, found most often in their full doubled forms. The flirty, ruffled flowers are a beginner's favorite, for they are unfussy as to soil, easy to grow, and bloom like crazy all summer—that is if you pick them often. Although always welcome in bouquets of summer flowers, they also attract honeybees and provide edible petals for garnishes and dried flowers to color potpourri. In addition to an early spring planting, try a fall sowing in zones 6-9 for early flowers to start your flower-filled year.
SKU #S1604
$3.25
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Details
Approximate Seeds Per Packet
110
Lifecycle
Annual
Annual Hardiness
Hardy Annual
Mature Size
2-3' h x 10" w
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Regular, well-drained
Season
Spring to summer
Color
Rose pink
Features
Great Cut Flower
Deer Resistant
Heat or Drought Tolerant
Attracts Bees
Attracts Beneficial Insects
SOWING INSTRUCTIONS
Depth:
Barely cover (about 1/16").
Sprout Time:
5-20 days
Seed To Bloom:
10 weeks
Starting Indoors:
Not recommended.
Starting Outdoors:
Sow in early spring, 3-4 weeks before last frost. Can also be fall sown (Oct.) in zones 7-10.
PLACEMENT & CULTIVATION
Cornflowers are sentimental favorites and of easiest culture; the numerous bees buzzing around the blooms are a clue to their value in pollinator gardens. A favored flower for hundreds of years in England, cornflowers had many pet names, including Bluebottle and Hurtsickle, for the cordlike stems dulled the reaper's blade. At home in the cutting, veggie, border, and meadow garden, they continue in bloom if picked often for fresh and dried bouquets. Pull some edible petals to brighten salads, and freeze inside ice cubes to add a bit of beauty to summer drinks. Try an early to mid-fall sowing in September in zones 7-10 for vigorous blooming plants earlier in the season; elsewhere, they are generally sown in early spring. Self-sows.
Final Spacing:
8"
Water Requirements:
Medium Water Use
Watering Details:
Somewhat drought tolerant once established. 1" of water per week initially, then water during dry spells.
Soil pH:
Neutral to alkaline
Fertilizer:
Grows well in poorer soils. Mix in about 1/2" of compost or an organic granular fertilizer prior to planting.
Diseases & Pests:
Avoid fungal troubles by placing in a location that has good air circulation.
When to Cut for Bouquets:
Harvest when the flowers are just open.
Growing Guides Fall Sowing Hardy Annuals
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