The illustrated growing guide
Bachelor's Button (Cornflower)
Centaurea cyanus
Family Asteraceae
Grown as an annual
The classic true-blue cornflower — one of the easiest, cheeriest annuals, thriving on poor dry soil, blooming for weeks, and generously feeding bees and beneficial insects (it's a top nectar plant). The edible petals brighten salads and herbal teas, and it's a lovely cut flower that self-sows to return each year. A cottage-garden essential.
Full Sun
Low water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
None winter chill
From the print shop
Growing bachelor's button (cornflower)? Hang it.
Our Garden Blooms collection carries bachelor's button (cornflower) — Centaurea cyanus, print Nº 12, “Cornflower.”
16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed
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Overview
Will bachelor's button (cornflower) suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what bachelor's button (cornflower) actually needs.
Life cycleAnnualBachelor's Button (Cornflower) at a glance
Common bachelor's button (cornflower) problems
- Aphids
- Powdery Mildew (late)
- Almost none
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow bachelor's button (cornflower): light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate bachelor's button (cornflower)
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The year
What bachelor's button (cornflower) asks for, month by month.
The bachelor's button (cornflower) year, month by month
BloomWhat each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
The bachelor's button (cornflower) year as text
- Jan quiet month
- Feb quiet month
- Mar quiet month
- Apr quiet month
- May bloom
- Jun bloom
- Jul bloom
- Aug bloom
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec quiet month
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
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Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer annual
- Nectary/insectary
What bachelor's button (cornflower) is grown for
✓ Commonly eatenedible petals
Harvesting & storing bachelor's button (cornflower)
Edible flowers (petals in salads, as a garnish, and dried in tea blends). About 65-80 days from planting.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of bachelor's button (cornflower), ruled as a catalogue.
Best bachelor's button (cornflower) varieties & cultivars
'Blue Boy' (classic blue); 'Black Ball' (maroon); 'Polka Dot' mix; 'Classic Magic'
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Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to bachelor's button (cornflower)yet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
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Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
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Questions
Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) questions, answered straight.
Is bachelor's button (cornflower) safe for kids and pets?
Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. One caveat on this one: edible petals. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest bachelor's button (cornflower)?
Edible flowers (petals in salads, as a garnish, and dried in tea blends). From planting, expect about 65-80 days to maturity.
How do you propagate bachelor's button (cornflower)?
From seed.
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Elsewhere
Where bachelor's button (cornflower) sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily