Bushy dwarf base branching Cornflower with abundant 25-40mm double blue blooms. Ideal as an edible, bedding plant. Prefers the cooler temperatures of spring and autumn with well drained loam but tolerates poor soil of moderate fertility. Also known as cornflower, garden cornflower, and bachelor’s buttons
• Edible Flowers: Use petals of this great edible flower for decorating desserts. Also a popular choice to brighten up salad mix. Flavour is bland to mildly floral
SOWING: Direct seed (recommended): Sow seeds thinly in rows, 6 seeds per foot, 6mm deep, as soon as soil can be worked. Cover lightly. Keep soil surface moist until emergence. When seedlings have first true leaves, thin to 15-22cm apart
Transplant: Sow 3-4 weeks before last frost. Transplant into cell packs or larger containers when the first true leaves appear. Grow at 10-12°C during the night for several weeks to develop a root ball
LIGHT PREFERENCE: Sun
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Any soil with good drainage. Tolerates poor soil of medium fertility
PLANT SPACING: 5-22cm
HARDINESS ZONES: Annual
HARVEST: Fresh: When flowers are 1/4 to 1/2 open
USES: Cut flower, edible flower, and beneficial insect attractant. Can be used as dried flower, though blooms are quite small once dried. Effective when massed for colour in beds and borders
