Bachelor Buttons Foliage

Bachelor buttons foliage. A bachelor button just starting to open up its flower bud. Unfortunately as with many species of wildflowers the cornflower is now rarely seen in the wild. About the perennial bachelor s button. Water bachelor s buttons once weekly or when the top 6 inches of soil begins to dry.

Outside of the garden bachelor s buttons are an edible. Cornflowers are a pretty annual wildflower that was once commonly seen growing natively throughout britain s rural meadows. Often prized for their bright blue flowers bachelor s buttons come in many shades of pink purple blue white and almost black. In fact bachelor buttons have adorned european and american gardens for centuries.

A true garden classic with 2 wide vivid cornflower blue flowers that possess interesting fringed petals and central black tipped bracts. I also grow bachelor s buttons in pots mixed with other flowers and ornamental plants and the bachelor s buttons don t mind as long as they are well watered and don t get too hot. Centaurea montana and centaurea macrocephala are perennials but there is an annual bachelor button centaurea cyanus. Bachelor button flowers often called cornflowers are an old fashioned specimen you may recall from grandmother s garden.

The common name perennial bachelor buttons originates from the fact that bachelors traditionally inserted these flowers in their buttonholes when calling upon their lady friends. It has become almost extinct in rural landscapes thanks to modern agricultural methods. You can fine tune care to gain perfect conditions but they ll grow well even in poor locations. On apr 14 2012 loveyourplantz from salt lake city ut wrote.

Bachelor button has the same friendly demeanor of a common wildflower. Supply about 1 inch of water during irrigation and water in the early part of the day so that the foliage. Bachelor buttons flowers are edible both raw in salads and dried in tea mixtures. The foliage is covered with fine white hairs which gives the entire plant a grayish blue appearance.

Foliage is an attractive green with a soft silvery fuzz that keeps the deer away. Bachelor button flowers grow well in a full sun location and care of bachelor button plants is minimal. Along with their showy blooms bachelor s buttons have appealing silvery green foliage that mixes well with other plants including grasses and wildflowers.