There’s no doubt about it but Bachelor’s buttons (also known as Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus) are beautiful flowers in the spring garden. They have amazing blue colored petals with a darker blue center. Bachelors buttons grow very easily from seeds and require no real care to proliferate – and that is where the problem is – they can spread like crazy! You might wonder why is that a problem?
Our Bachelor’s Buttons Just Showed Up One Day
I did not actually plant the bachelor’s buttons we have in the garden. Topsoil was brought in from another location and I think that the seeds were mixed into that soil. 2024 was the first year living in our new home and I noticed two Bachelor’s buttons plants on the property. One was at the edge of the front garden while the other had somehow come up in a wilder area where topsoil had been graded during construction. I let them both grow and paid they little mind except to enjoy the blue blooms.
This Year there are MORE!
This year however my passive enjoyment of last year’s flowers has led to the spread of many more plants. Bachelor’s buttons are annuals, or should be, but I even had one return in the exact same location as last year. I don’t think it every truly died back. While beautiful these plants are pretty large, especially right next to our sidewalk. They encroach into the walkway making the passage a little more challenging. Especially when you see all the pollinators enjoying the flowers, which is awesome, but people and pollinators don’t always mix! Wasps and bees are all over the flowers which could potentially lead to some undesirable outcomes.
Advice on Planting Bachelor’s Buttons
My advice on planting bachelor’s buttons is to select a location away from heavily traversed spots. Locations where they can grow freely to full size without impacting walkways or other garden plants. If they begin to self sow, as ours did, they can take over. Don’t be afraid to weed plants that come up in the wrong spots. Make sure other plants planted nearby are not going to be shoved out of the way by the large clumps of cornflowers. You can always dig them up and move them if you need to!
Bachelor’s buttons are typical spring blooming flowers. By mid spring they will flower and start to form seeds. Then in summer they will begin to die back. To keep the flowers under control dead head the flowers before they produce seeds and just allow a few flowers to produce seeds you can collect. As an added benefit deadheading may increase the bloom time. Then you can plant those collect seeds in the garden where you want them to grow.
All in all it’s a very pretty flower to have around but plant them cautiously. Don’t let them take over your garden or escape your garden.
Bachelor’s Buttons/Cornflower Growing Conditions
| Growing Condition | Details |
|---|---|
| USDA Hardiness Zones | 2–11 (typically grown as an annual) |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun (6+ hours per day) |
| Soil Type | Well-draining soil; tolerates poor, sandy, or rocky soils |
| Soil pH | Neutral to slightly alkaline (6.6 to 7.5) |
| Water Needs | Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established |
| Height | 12–36 inches (varies by cultivar) |
| Bloom Time | Late spring to summer; may continue into fall with deadheading |
| Spacing | 6–12 inches apart |
| Fertilizer | Not usually necessary; too much fertilizer can reduce flowering |
| Propagation | Direct sow seeds in early spring or fall (in mild climates) |
| Pollinator Friendly | Yes — attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators |
| Deer Resistant | Yes |
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