Cornflower Blue Ball | Centaurea Cyanus

A double-flowering form of the traditional bright blue cornflower, 'Double Blue' performs wonderfully as a cottage garden annual and as a cut flower in as little as 10 to 12 weeks from a spring sowing. Centaurea are tall plants and must have support or the stems will bend. Pick cornflowers early in the morning, remove lower leaves and stand in a deep bucket of water for a few hours before arranging. Lasts 5-7 days in a vase. Growing instructions: Surface-sow seeds in trays filled with good quality compost, and germinate at 50°C-61°F (10°C-16°C). Pot on when they have put on their first true leaves and harden off before planting out after the frosts have passed. Alternatively, sow directly in late spring or early summer, and thin out to 30cm as they grow. Cornflowers prefer poorer soils, so do not use fertiliser. Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering. In autumn cut the faded flower heads down to the ground and compost the dead stems. Seeds sown in autumn and over-wintered in a cold frame will produce plants that will flower earlier in the year than those sown in spring. Sow: March to May or September to October Flowering: July to September or May to July