Cornflower / Bachelor Button Seeds

The annual cornflower is a great choice for gardeners. These fully double flowers have petite 1 1/2 inch blooms and appear like miniature carnations, but they're much easier to grow. Cornflower's most common variation has bright blue flowers, although there are also cultivars with pink, white, and scarlet blooms. If you want the classic blue variety, check out Eden Brothers' Early Victory Cornflower Seeds or if you prefer a sea of colors in your garden, try our Tall Cornflower Seeds Mix.

Planting the best cornflower seeds

  • 14 cornflower seed varieties
  • Also called bachelor button
  • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
  • Pollinator attractor with long-lasting blooms

Planting the best cornflower seeds

  • 14 cornflower seed varieties
  • Also called bachelor button
  • Thrives in full sun or partial shade
  • Pollinator attractor with long-lasting blooms

adding cornflowers to your garden

Cornflower, or bachelor button, is a popular annual flowering plant offering double blooms with narrow, fringed, frilly petals. Cornflower plants grow quickly, and bloom heavily. The ease of planting this seed is compounded by its rewards. Gardeners enjoy the butterflies and beneficial insects it attracts and its natural deer resistance. In folklore, blue cornflowers were worn by young men in love. Bring out your inner romantic by planting cornflower seeds in any of the colors that Eden Brothers offers: blue, red, pink, white, and one we call "Almost Black".

While cornflower is an herbaceous plant belonging to the daisy family, it often grows as a weed in cornfields, thus the nickname. Sadly, the cornflower or bachelor button is now endangered in its native habitat of Europe by agricultural intensification, but thrives in all of North America. To grow your own cornflowers, choose a planting site with good, well-draining soil maintaining a pH level between 6.6 and 7.8. Cornflower thrives in full sun conditions but can tolerate partial shade if necessary.

how to plant cornflower seeds

Broadcast sow your seeds directly on the surface of the soil in early- to mid- spring, after the threat of frost has passed. Compress the seeds without covering them, as they require sunlight to germinate properly. Once your cornflower seeds have germinated, thin them out to a spacing of eight to twelve inches between plants. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Cornflower is drought tolerant, but watering during drier periods will help improve flowering.

Cutting back cornflower blooms

Cornflower or bachelor button flowers typically reach a height of 12 to 35 1/2 inches, depending on the variety. Once your blooms have died back for the season, cut down the growth and remove the debris from the planting site. Cornflower or bachelor button is often planted with staple grain crops such as wheat and oats, as it helps keep the soil arable.

Additionally, cornflower looks absolutely beautiful planted next to pansies, snapdragons, and zinnias. For more information about planting, growing, and caring for cornflower flower seeds, see the Cornflower Seeds Planting Guide.