Centaurea cyanus 'Black Ball'
cornflower
Altogether charming, dark crimson flowers, which look almost black on cloudy days, sit on top of upright, branching...
Plant description
Eventual height & spread
Flowering period
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Plant features
Position
Full sun
Rate of growth
Average
Soil
Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness
Fully hardy
How to care for Centaurea cyanus Black Ball:
GOES WELL WITH
Sow annuals in pots
If you have redundant space in your heated greenhouse why not try sowing a few flowering annuals such as cornflowers, calendulas, godesia and nemesia for pots of colourful blooms next spring? Sow in trays of compost and prick out seedling when large en
Read full articleThin out hardy annuals
Hardy annuals such as candytuft, California poppy and cornflowers sown direct last month into a prepared seedbed [link to making a seedbed] will need thinning to the correct spacing. Thin the flower seedlings when they are large enough to separate so the
Read full articleGet more flowers
Deadheading will prevent them setting seed and so use their energy producing a further flush of blooms later on. Plants that respond well to deadheading include annuals such as Ageratum, Alyssum, Antirrhinum, Calendula, Centaurea, Cosmos, Dahlia, foxglove
Read full articlePlants birds love in the winter garden
As frost descends and the leaves gather on the lawn, the most important colour is red because it glows against the backdrop of fading stems in muddy shades of khaki, grey and brown. Red’s the colour that fixes the rest of the palette and luckily red berri
Read full articleHalf hardy annuals better sown in trays
If you are wanting to have a go at growing seeds then the easiest of all are the annuals because they are programmed to germinate, flower and set seed within one year - therefore they pop up easily because there’s no time to waste. Most will provide necta
Read full article