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I had to get hand-sy with my cornflowers to get the blooms within the one
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Having spent virtually every weekend from January until April huddled in my garage sowing annuals I thought I would share the fruits of my labour. I sowed a lot, so I will take each individually in turn. First up is the humble cornflower. It was the first to flower and still continues to be a star of my annual border.
I had about ten seedlings germinate readily from easily the strangest seeds I have ever seen. I talk about it more here, but boy were they odd. They grew quickly, moved outside and were potted up well ahead of the other annuals. Growth in the garden has been equally rapid, shooting up in height and branching out. This however is a bit of a problem because all except one have apparently no ability to stand upright on its own and flop everywhere, over the path, under the runner beans. I discovered a whole plant the other day busily flowering away under the runner beans, completely out of sight. I had to go and buy some really short canes to try and prop them up. This is probably the only negative I have come across, that and being a bit leggy without much in the way of foliage. But they are meant to add height to the patch, not bush, so one can't expect too much.
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Cornflowers reach up towards the sky on long leggy stalks and very little greenery,
good for adding a little height to the border. Excuse the dying gladiolus in the front |
I have to admit I was a little surprised when the cornflowers started flowering. The week before I had seen some lovely blue cornflowers in full bloom at the Hampton Court flower show and really thought they looked nice. I was really pleased that I had already decided to grow some and only had to wait a few days until I had some of my own. What really struck me was the colour, so so blue. I am a sucker for blue flowers. So I was a little shocked when mine burst into flower and they were burghundy.
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| Cornflowers mingling with runner beans |
I was a little taken aback, but eventually remembered that I had decided blue cornflowers weren't particularly special and decided to go for something a little different in the form of black ball Just goes to show how the pictures on seed packets can really undersell the flower and seeing it in real life is necessary. Not that I don't like the burgundy, because I do. The are the most gorgeous dark winey colour, adding a little depth to all the bright summery colours of the other annuals. Its just if I could make the choice again I would go blue. Next year I plan to buy some blue ones to add to the mix alongside my burgundy ones. That or snaffle some seed from a verge down the road which some soul has sowed annuals on. They don't really belong to anyone, so I think it will be fine. Just need to take a pair of scissors with me when I next go running!
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| It is impossible to get cornflowers in focus, I think some in the back are! But you see the lovely colour and overall impression |
They really are good flowerers. The first one to flower has been solidly covered for the last five or six weeks without break. Im out there dead heading on a fairly regular basis, but they are a solid addition to an annual bed. Admittedly some of my ten plants have not done so well, failing to get to the size or have the number of flowers that the biggest plants do, but thats plants for you. Nothing is consistent.
I would wholey recommend, in blue, burgundy or any other colour. I plan to have some of each for my border next year.
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