Cornflower Blue Ball

The definitive cornflower — and one of the most reliably beautiful annuals in the English garden. Blue Ball produces masses of fully double, ruffled blooms in a vivid electric azure-blue that seems to glow in the sunlight, on tall silvery stems with feathery foliage that moves with every breeze.

A cut-and-come-again workhorse: the more you cut, the more it flowers, producing buckets of blooms from early summer through to the first frosts. Ultra-hardy (H7, to -20°C), thriving in poor soil, and listed on the RHS Plants for Pollinators. Autumn sowing produces the largest, most floriferous plants.

• Centaurea cyanus 'Blue 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 Poppy Flanders Red for the classic British cornfield combination — timeless, wildlife-rich, and deeply satisfying to grow.