I left the full frame of this Centaurea montana so that you can see how it persists in spite of grass, roses, nettles and various other weeds. We planted Centaurea montana more than 20 years ago – and then decided that spot, a small bank, was not a good place. We mowed everything down. The Centaurea didn’t notice and it continues to come up every year. It is not invasive, just persistent.
Centaurea montana is also called perennial cornflower or mountain bluet. It obviously doesn’t need any special care. It prefers full sun but can tolerate light shade which it gets in my garden. It grows at the edge of shade thrown by our ancient apple tree. It spreads by stolons so can move around the garden. Our mowing has limited it to this spot next to The Rose Walk. Most of the weeds will be removed by the day of the Annual Rose Viewing.
Isn’t it funny that I can’t seem to get this going in my garden and here you just chop away at it and it grows.
Lisa – one of the frustrations – and pleasures – is how fickle plants can be for no reason at all, about the sites they enjoy.
I did not know this was considered a cornflower. She’s an early bloomer in my gardens. Actually, she’s a lifetime commitment in my gardens. I guess there’s no telling her to go away after you plant one. 🙂
I’ve always thought this Centurea was such a beautiful shade of blue, but I’ve never planted any for some reason. A plant this tough that will duke it out with the weeds definitely deserves a spot in my garden!
P.S. Your baby chicks are so cute. When I was a girl, my mother always got her chicks through the mail, too.
After hearing many stories like yours about the hardiness and persistence of Centurea montana, I finally planted some last fall. And this spring it came up with variegated, almost white leaves and half-dead flowers. I suspect it’s some kind of virus and the plant will probably have to be removed. Has yours ever done anything like that?
Rose – Centaurea montana is a beautiful blue and tough as anything.
Monica – I have no idea what happened to yours. It certainly seems some disease must be involved. My nearly ignored plants have never had any problems.