Centaurea montana
Height x Spread: 45cm x 60cm
This Cornflower is commonly known as the Great Blue-bottle for its blue flowers with a pink/purple tinge in the centre, during summer. Centaurea montana has simple silvery-green leaves and is known for its spreading habit.
The Great Blue-bottle is as tough as old boots, It is salt tolerant and often used in coastal planting schemes, it will grow happily in any moisture-retentive yet free-draining soil, in a sunny location. A classic cottage garden plant, the blue cornflowers cut well for arrangements and they are attractive to bees and other pollinators. Deadhead to encourage further flowering. When plants start to look untidy cut the whole plant back to encourage fresh foliage growth .