How to Grow Bachelor's Button (Cornflower)

Botanical illustration of Bachelor's Button (Cornflower)

True blue is the rarest color in flowers, and bachelor's button serves it by the armload — the classic cornflower, blooming for weeks on poor, dry soil, with petals you can actually eat, scattered over salads or dried into tea blends. Cheerful is underselling it.

Among the easiest annuals ever handed to a beginner, it's also a top-tier nectar plant, feeding bees and beneficial insects generously, and a fine cut flower besides. It self-sows into a yearly tradition. If a garden can only afford one packet of seed, this is a strong argument.

Where to buy bachelor's button (cornflower) — 1 nursery compared

Full Sun
Low water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
None winter chill

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) — a print from the Plant Library collection

From the print shop

Growing bachelor's button (cornflower)? Hang it.

Our Plant Library collection carries bachelor's button (cornflower) — Centaurea cyanus, print Nº 39, “Bachelor's Button (Cornflower).”

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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 cycleAnnual

Winter chillNone

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) · Common problems

Common bachelor's button (cornflower) problems

Pests, diseases and weather to keep an eye on.

Pests

2 problems on file

Aphids
Powdery Mildew (late)

Diseases

1 problem on file

Almost none

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) · Growing & propagation

Growing bachelor's button (cornflower)

Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.

What it needsThe details

Light: Full Sun
Water: Low
Drought-tough
Soil: Any, even poor · pH 6.0 - 7.5
Fertilizer: None
Pruning: Deadhead to prolong or let it seed
One of the truest blues in the garden and one of the easiest annuals — direct-sow on poor, dry soil and it blooms cheerfully for weeks, feeding bees and beneficial insects generously. The edible petals brighten salads and tea blends. A classic cut flower and cottage-garden staple that self-sows to return. Cool-season vigor; it slows in high heat.
Spacing: 6-8 in

How to plant & propagate bachelor's button (cornflower)

Maturity: 65-80 days
From seed: Direct-sow fall or early spring
Cool-season; self-sows
Propagate: From seed

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) · Calculators & field guides

A little help in the garden.

Calculators for the figures. Field guides for the hands-on work.

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) · Yearly calendar

The bachelor's button (cornflower) year, month by month

What bachelor's button (cornflower) asks for, month by month.

Jan

No calendar activity is listed for this month.

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bloom

BloomMay to August

What each band means

Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.

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.

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) · Ecology & uses

Ecology & uses

What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.

Centaurea cyanus

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) in the garden system

Herbaceous layer annual
Nectary/insectary

Attracts: Bees
Moisture: Upland / dry
Deer: Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin: Introduced

What bachelor's button (cornflower) is grown for

✓ Commonly eatenedible petals

Use: True-blue cottage flower
Use: Edible petals
Use: Pollinators
Use: Cut flower
Edible value: 3/5

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.

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) · Varieties & cultivars

Choosing a bachelor's button (cornflower) variety

Match the plant to your climate, season and available space.

'Blue Boy' (classic blue); 'Black Ball' (maroon); 'Polka Dot' mix; 'Classic Magic'

Sources & plant identity

Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.

The plant, at a glance.

Botanical name: Centaurea cyanus
Plant family: Asteraceae
Growth habit: Annual
Origin: Introduced
USDA plant symbol: CECY2
Invasive risk: Low

Every garden is different.

Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.

Rooted in research.

University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.

Explore the source library

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.

Elsewhere

Where bachelor's button (cornflower) sits in the library.

Grows in the same world