Cornflower Black Ball

The moody, sophisticated member of the cornflower family. Despite its name, Black Ball is not truly black but a deep, sumptuous velvet maroon-chocolate — the colour of crushed blackberries, of vintage velvet, of old Dutch oil paintings. It transforms a standard cottage border into something altogether more considered.

All the easy virtues of the cornflower family — ultra-hardy, cut-and-come-again, thriving in poor soil, beloved by bees — with a colour that works as beautifully in a dark, moody arrangement as it does in a hot border of reds and oranges. Listed on the RHS Plants for Pollinators.

• Centaurea cyanus 'Black Ball' — Hardy Annual (H7)
• Height: 75–90cm | Flowers: June–September
• Approximately 200 seeds per packet
• Direct sow September for early blooms, or March–May — do not transplant
• Full sun; thrives in poor, well-drained soil — do not over-feed
• RHS Plants for Pollinators listed — petals edible

Grow it with Ammi majus for a monochrome combination of real elegance — dark velvet against white lace.