Botanical illustration of Cornflower (Bachelor's Button)
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🌱 Cornflower (Bachelor's Button)

Centaurea cyanus
flowers annual
☀️ Sun
full sun
💧 Water
low to moderate
🗺️ Zones
[2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]
🧪 Soil pH
6.0-7.5
🪴 Soil Type
well-drained, average
📏 Spacing
6-12 inches
📐 Height
1-3 feet

🍴 Edible Parts

🍽️ Petals are edible — mild, slightly sweet; garnish for salads and desserts

🤝 Companions (4)

🤝 Tomato
Attracts ladybugs and lacewings that control aphids and whiteflies on tomatoes
🤝 brassicas
Hoverflies attracted by cornflowers devour cabbage aphids
🤝 corn
Classic companion — cornflower grew in cornfields for centuries; attracted beneficials that protected corn
🤝 squash
Bee magnet — improves squash pollination and fruit set

⚠️ Keep Apart (1)

⚠️ none significant

📝 Growing Notes

Intense blue flowers (also pink, white, purple). Traditional European cornfield companion — hence the name. Outstanding nectar source for bees, butterflies, hoverflies. Attracts ladybugs. Dried petals retain color.

🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Johnny's Selected Seeds Botanical Interests True Leaf Market Burpee Territorial Seed Company

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