SPERLI Kornblume Classic Fantastic

Cornflowers in many colours, 80 to 100 cm tall and in flower from May to September – a greeting from the fields of days gone by.

The story

Origins & history

The cornflower comes from the eastern Mediterranean and reached Central Europe as a companion of cereal crops. Cornflowers were even found among the floral garlands in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The epithet ‘cyanus’ means blue – the colour of the wild form.

Uses

It grows in sun or partial shade and needs no fertiliser; it prefers lean soil. One packet is enough for around 120 plants – enough for a small cornflower field in the garden.

Meaning

In Prussia it was regarded as the favourite flower of Emperor Wilhelm I and became a symbol of the country. Because young men once liked to wear it in their buttonhole, it is also known in English as ‘bachelor’s button’.

A thought for giving

For centuries the cornflower grew where no one had sown it – among the corn. The most beautiful things in life often arrive unplanned.

At a glance

• Contents: 1 packet for approx. 120 plants
• Botanical name: Centaurea cyanus
• Life cycle: annual
• Height: 80–100 cm
• Position: sunny, partial shade
• Sow outdoors: April–June
• Flowering: May–September
• Sowing depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Germination temperature: 15–20 °C
• Germination time: 7–14 days
• Plant spacing: 20 cm
• Row spacing: 20 cm
• Seed type: loose seed

How to sow

1. Sow directly where it is to flower from April to June, in soil loosened with the BERGER Pflanzkelle (hand trowel).
2. Sow the seeds 0.5 to 1 cm deep.
3. At 15 to 20 °C they germinate in 7 to 14 days.
4. Sun or partial shade on lean soil without fertiliser, 20 cm apart in the row with 20 cm between rows.

Delivery time: 1–2 weeks. Manufacturer: SPERLI GmbH. Seeds, not a plant – the image shows the original packet.

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