Centaurea cyanus
Bachelor's Button
Common names: Cornflower, Blue Cornflower
Photo: TeunSpaans · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The cornflower displays a distinctive cornflower blue that brings a touch of summer meadow to the garden. This annual wildflower blooms from June to August, is drought tolerant, and attracts bees and bumblebees. Its edible flowers can be used to garnish salads and summer bowls.
Care instructions
Sow the cornflower directly into the garden from March in a sunny, somewhat sparse location, no fertilized soil is needed. A fall sowing in September produces especially vigorous plants and early flowering. Water sparingly; the plant tolerates dryness well. Deadhead spent flowers to prolong blooming into late summer.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, loamy, well-drained, lean
Feeding
Light feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Calendula and Tagetes next to carrots keep the carrot fly away with their scent.
For example Carrotcelery rootDillParsleyCarrot fennelCoriander and 19 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Sunflowers release substances into the soil that inhibit potato tuber growth, and they also compete for water and nutrients.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 9 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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