Centaurea cyanus 'Black Ball'

Dark crimson, double flowers, whose colour doesn't fade. It dries brilliantly too. A long standing favourite.

Genus	Centaurea
Group/Species	cyanus
Variety	Black Ball
Type	Hardy Annual
Common Name	Cornflower
Border Position	Cutting Garden
Soil Type	Broad Tolerance
Scent	Unscented
Site	Full Sun
Moisture	Well-drained
Height	1.2m (4ft)
Spacing	30cm (12in)
Sowing, Seeds, Planting	Sow March-May or August-October either under cover or direct into the garden. Thin to 30cm (12in). Late sowings in pots can either be planted out in autumn or overwintered under cover for planting out in spring.
Care Tips	Make sowings at two to three-week intervals to prolong the display. Sowing in curves, rather than straight lines, often creates a more natural-looking effect. Water well until established. Keep picking or deadhead to encourage more blooms. Will self-sow.
Flowering	May - July, 10-12 weeks from spring sowing
Vase Life	5-7 days. Dries well. They last brilliantly out of water - and so can be made into many types of arrangements and craft ideas.
Harvesting	Flower production: 2-3 months. This is a cut-and-come-again variety.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Sow Under Cover/Plant Indoors
Direct Sow/Plant Outdoors
Flowers/Harvest

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Centaurea cyanus 'Black Ball' reviews

Average based on 3 reviews

Reviewed 25th April 2020 by Caroline

Very easy to grow. Sowed seed indoors and pricked out 16 days later. Too soon to comment on the flowers

Reviewed 31st July 2019 by Jill

Fab flowerers. Gorgeous planted with lime nicotiana. Two blue seeds germinated from this pack.

Lovely colour

Reviewed 10th August 2015 by Lisa

I grew two sowings of this, one in autumn and one in spring. The autumn sowings were far taller, but too tall even for the back of my border and despite staking still flopped. The spring sown ones I pinched out and were far better behaved and looked better For longer.. The foliage is silvery too which makes a great foil for the flowers and looks good in a mixed border. Even the ones in semi shade did well. Would sow again!

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