Bachelor's Button Seeds - Black
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Centaurea cyanus 'Black Ball' — the cornflower, in a strain so deep a maroon it reads as black in the border. Double, thistle-like blooms on wiry 2 to 3 foot stems.
This is the one that makes a goth garden work. Against the orange of marigolds or the cherry red of zinnias it does what nothing else quite does, and it dries as well as it cuts.
How to grow
- Chill the seed first. Five days to two weeks in the refrigerator before sowing noticeably improves germination.
- Sow: 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, directly where they are to grow. Bachelor's button is taprooted and does not transplant well, so skip the seed trays.
- Germination: 7 to 14 days at 60 to 70°F.
- Space: Thin to 8 to 12 inches apart.
- Sun: Full sun. In warm climates it appreciates part shade.
- Height: 2 to 3 feet. Benefits from staking in wind.
- Bloom: 80 to 90 days from sowing.
In Florida — sow this one in fall, not spring
Bachelor's button is a cool-season annual. A spring sowing in Florida bolts and collapses in the heat before it does anything worth looking at. Direct sow October through January for bloom in late winter and early spring. UF/IFAS puts cool-season cut flowers in a September-through-February window; this one sits at the later end of it.
For cutting and drying
Excellent fresh, with a vase life around 7 days, and one of the better flowers for drying — the colour holds. Deadhead for more bloom and to keep the self-sowing in check, because it will reseed itself readily and naturalize if you let it.
Deer tend to leave it alone. Bees and butterflies work the flowers, and songbirds will strip the seed heads if you leave them standing. The petals are edible — scatter them over a salad or freeze them into ice cubes.
Packet artwork and paper color may vary slightly from the packet shown.
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