Cornflower Blue Boy Seeds - Centaurea cyanus

Centaurea cyanus Blue Boy, also called cornflower or bachelor's button, is a variety with luminous, medium-blue double flowers. Like the adorable annual weed which once so widespread in our countrysides, even wandering as far as into our cereal fields, it paints a somewhat naive but unforgettable picture. Very decorative in large drifts, these cornflowers are perfect in wildflower bouquets and bloom for months on end if care is taken to remove the flowers as they wilt. They like full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.

Cornflowers of the 'Blue Boy' variety belong to the family Asteraceae. It is a cultivar derived from Centaurea cyanus, an annual herbaceous plant native to Europe and North Asia that has long been considered an invasive weed in cereal crops and is one of the most beautiful wildflowers of our regions. It forms an upright clump with limp stems, reaching 80 cm high and 25 cm wide, bearing very narrow, long, greyish-green leaves. The flowering period lasts from June to August, displaying inflorescences in the form of double flower heads, 3 cm across. The ligulate flowers (or the petals surrounding the centre) are toothed at their tips and are of a very bright medium-blue. The centre of the inflorescence is made up of purplish florets. The flowers are very melliferous and nectar-rich

Cornflowers are enchanting in flowerbeds where they form remarkable patches of colour. The variety 'Blue Boy', a delicious descendant of the most famous of them all, bring the charm of the countryside to our gardens. Sow cornflower in wild-looking beds. They are sublime combined with ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuifolia or Muhlenbeckia capillaris, poppies, with pink love-in-a-mist, California poppies and tall daisies. The edible flowers can be used to decorate summer salads. It is also an excellent cut flower.