Seeds - Cornflowers
While the cornflower was still considered a universal medicinal plant in the Middle Ages, its existence was later threatened. Growing wild as a field weed, it was a thorn in the side of agriculture and was almost eradicated by the use of herbicides. For this reason, the cornflower is still under nature protection today. Only through the loving devotion of nature-loving gardeners did it find its way back into our colorful world of gardens. And it doesn't just look great there: the blue blossoms are also a magnificent eye-catcher as an edible decoration on the plate.
Characteristics
| Plant information | |
|---|---|
| Blooms from June to September (multiple times a year) | |
| Low nutrient requirements | |
| Centaurea cyanus | |
| 40-80cm | |
| annual | |
| Blue | |
| For beautifying gardens, balconies, or surroundings | |
Planting instructions on the envelope
The cornflower is very easy to care for. It prefers a sunny to partially shaded location. The soil should be rather low in nutrients and dry. The cornflower only needs to be watered on the evening of a very hot summer day. Waterlogging should be avoided at all costs. For use as an edible decoration, the blue petals can be "harvested." The blue flowers are what are harvested. Removing faded flower heads promotes the development of new flowers. The cornflower reaches a height of 40-80 cm.
Detailed planting instructions: Cornflowers
When there is a wonderful blue sparkle at the edge of the grain field or in the garden, midsummer has arrived: the cornflowers are blooming! You can count on this plant from June onwards when it comes to flowering; however, the cornflower is not just interesting to the eye. No, its petals decorate many a dessert and also look great in salads. Grown in your own garden, these wildflowers are more than just an eye-catcher and are a real magnet for bees, butterflies, bumblebees, and the like. Furthermore, Centaurea cyanus, also called bachelor's button, is very easy to grow if you follow a few simple rules.
Best to pre-grow
If you want to avoid all risks associated with late frost, you should not sow the seeds directly in the bed in March, but rather pre-grow them in small yogurt cups. Poke a small hole in the bottom of the cups so that excess watering water can drain away; the sprouts only like it a little moist and also sunny. Because the seeds are light-dependent germinators, you should also cover them with only very little soil. The ideal place is a window sill that is shone on by the sun; the temperature should never fall below 13 degrees. Ideally, use seed compost without fertilizer for pre-growing. After about two weeks – a few days less or more – the seeds will germinate; from now on you have to keep an eye on the little plants. Because as soon as three or four small leaves appear, they should be transplanted; this will very likely be in May if you started the cultivation in March. When transplanting, pay special attention to the root system; this must not be damaged under any circumstances.
Balcony or bed?
The cornflower is quite undemanding, regardless of whether you put it in a bed or in pots or window boxes on the balcony. The demands of the plants are low here and there; the bachelor's button likes permeable soil in which water can drain well. You should definitely avoid the typical nutrient-rich soil specifically for flowers, as the cornflower does not like that at all. After all, as a wild plant, it is used to coping with quite sparse conditions. For these reasons, fertilizer is out of the question anyway.
If you transplant the cornflower into window boxes, a distance of approx. 20 centimeters is sufficient; outside in the bed, it should be about 30 centimeters. From now on, you can actually sit back and relax and watch the plants grow; watering is only necessary during very long periods of drought. Since the bachelor's button comes from the Mediterranean region, it is quite used to receiving water rather rarely. And fertilizer remains taboo in every phase. In principle, other wildflowers are suitable as good neighbors in the bed.
Away with what has faded
Flowering begins in June, and no matter which location you have chosen: the cornflowers are real eye-catchers. As soon as the first flowers have faded, you can remove them from the plant – this has the great effect that many more new flowers will follow. But it is not just the eye that benefits from the bachelor's button; no, the palate can also get its money's worth.
The petals of the 50 to 70-centimeter-high plant not only decorate salads and desserts but also have a delicately sweet taste that goes perfectly with fruity desserts or ice cream variations. The flowers also make a wonderful sight in tea while at the same time creating a fine aromatic note. It is only important that you really only use the petals and make sure not to use any of the calyx. For this is tough, quite dry, and completely unsuitable for consumption.
