Centaurea montana

Scientific name: Centaurea montana

Family: ASTERACEAE

Common names: “Perennial cornflower” “Bachelor’s buttons” “Mountain bluet” “Great blue-bottle”

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

Conditions:

Zone: 3-8

Light: Full sun – part shade

Exposure: Sheltered

Soil: Average – poor

Moisture: Moist well drained – dry, drought tolerant

Aesthetic:

Plant Size: H 12″-24″ W 12″-18″

Leaf and Stem shape: Simple or lobed leaves, hairy beneath

Flower: Blue flower-heads, reddish in the centre, from late spring to summer

Pruning: N/a

Maintenance: High maintenance low value, requires dividing every second year, staking, seeds around into the crowns of other plants, shear back after flowering

Landscape use: Flower beds, informal,  coastal cottage, prairie, wildlife garden

Propagate: By seed and division

Pests & Disease: Prone to downy & white mildews, rust

Comments: “There is no reason to plant this” “Nobody in their right mind would like this plant” , tends to self seed about and can be a bit weedy, but the flowers are nice