Greetings, human gardener. We are the Cornflowers, once known as *Centaurea cyanus*, and we are eager to grace your American garden with our vibrant blue hues. To cultivate us successfully, you must understand our nature, our needs, and our life cycle from our perspective.
We are sun-worshippers. To produce our most intense blue pigments and strongest stems, we require a location with full, unfiltered sunlight for a minimum of six to eight hours daily. Our roots are particular about their bed; we demand well-draining soil. We despise having our roots sit in constant moisture, which leads to rot and a swift, undignified end. We are not overly fussy about soil fertility; in fact, we prefer it to be of low to moderate fertility. Rich, heavily amended soil will encourage excessive leafy growth at the expense of your desired brilliant blue blossoms.
Our life in your garden begins with a seed. We are a cool-season annual, meaning we complete our entire lifecycle in one growing season and prefer to start in cooler weather. For a head start, you may sow our seeds indoors in peat pots about 4-6 weeks before the last expected spring frost. However, we are hardy and vastly prefer to be sown directly into the garden soil. Once the soil is workable and daytime temperatures are consistently in the 50s (°F), press our seeds gently into the soil's surface. We need light to germinate effectively, so a bare covering of 1/8 inch of fine soil, or simply a firm pat to ensure soil contact, is perfect. Keep the area moist, and we will emerge in 7 to 14 days.
As we seedlings emerge and grow our first true sets of leaves, you must perform a difficult but necessary task: thinning. We require space for air to circulate around our stems to prevent mildew and for us to develop our full, bushy potential. Thin us so that we stand 8 to 12 inches apart. This gives each plant room to flourish. Once established, we are remarkably drought-tolerant. Water us deeply but infrequently, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Our deep taproots are designed to seek moisture from further down in the earth.
If sown early, we will begin our spectacular display in late spring and continue through the summer heat. The secret to a prolonged bloom is simple: deadheading. As our individual flowers begin to fade and die, snip them off. This prevents us from diverting energy into seed production and instead encourages us to produce a continuous supply of new buds. If you wish for us to self-sow and return the following year, allow the last flowers of the season to mature and set seed. We will gladly drop them to the earth to begin the cycle anew.
We are generally resilient plants with few demands. Our most common issue is powdery mildew, a fungal affliction that appears as a white powder on our leaves. This is primarily caused by poor air circulation (hence the importance of thinning), overhead watering, or humid conditions. Water us at the base to keep our foliage dry. We have few serious pest problems, as our tough texture is not appealing to most common garden pests. We simply ask for sun, space, and well-drained earth, and in return, we will provide you with a stunning and classic blue garden.
