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Cornflower illustration
Flowers · Annual

Cornflower

Centaurea cyanus

Fringed blue flower heads float above narrow grey-green leaves and slender stems.

Make it part of your growing collection.

A LITTLE EVERYDAY CARE

Help it thrive.

A few things worth knowing.
01

Give it plenty of light

Choose a sunny position; too much shade encourages stems to flop.

02

Support tall stems

Stake taller plants if their stems need help staying upright.

03

Decide how much seed to leave

Remove faded heads to limit seedlings, or retain some to provide seed for birds.

Care guide · NC State ExtensionSource checked 20 Sept 2026 · Adapt timing to your climate and variety.
A PLACE TO THRIVE

Growing essentials.

Sunlight
6+ hours of sunSource-backed
Moisture
Moderate moistureSource interpretation
Soil pH
Not verifiedExcluded from score
Drainage
Moist, well-drainedSource interpretation
Nutrients
Not verifiedExcluded from score
Soil texture
clay / loamSource-backed
Plant spacing
≈ 30 cmPlanning estimate
Growing depth
≈ 25 cmPlanning estimate
Typical height
≈ 75 cmPlanning estimate
Growing season
cool-seasonPlanning estimate

Source-backed preferences and planning estimates are labelled separately. Missing values are not treated as a match. Spacing and depth still depend on cultivar and growing method.

Data sources & uncertainty
Sunlight

Full sun is preferred; 6+ hours is a category, not an upper tolerance limit.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Moisture

Medium moisture is preferred, although low-water conditions are tolerated; this is a qualitative interpretation.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Soil pH

No precise preferred numeric interval verified; the unused placeholder is excluded from display and scoring.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Drainage

Free drainage or avoiding waterlogging is recommended; the ordinal interval is an interpretation, not a measured drainage rate.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Nutrients

No comparable numeric nutrient requirement verified; excluded from scoring.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Soil texture

Listed textures are examples, not an exhaustive tolerance list.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Plant spacing

30 cm is a planning allowance near the lower end of the listed mature spread of about 30–60 cm; larger forms need more.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Growing depth

Approximate planning allowance, not a verified root depth; cultivar and growing method change the requirement.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Typical height

Approximate planning height; cultivar, pruning and growth stage change the result.

Source · checked 2026-09-20
Growing season

Broad growth category, not a local planting calendar; excluded from scoring.

Source · checked 2026-09-20