Cornflower / Bachelor Button Seeds (Heirloom)

For gardeners, the annual heirloom cornflower is an excellent choice. These fully double flowers have little 1 1/2 inch blooms and resemble miniature carnations in appearance, but they're a lot easier to produce. Heirloom cornflowers have bright blue flowers as their most popular variant, but there are also cultivars with pink, white, and scarlet blooms. Check out Eden Brothers' Heirloom Early Victory Cornflower Seeds for a classic blue variety, or try our Heirloom Tall Cornflower Seeds Mix for an array of colors in your garden.

Growing heirloom cornflower in your garden

  • 14 heirloom cornflower seed varieties
  • Truly a garden classic
  • Prefers full sun exposure or partial shade
  • Attracts bees and hummingbirds

Growing heirloom cornflower in your garden

  • 14 heirloom cornflower seed varieties
  • Truly a garden classic
  • Prefers full sun exposure or partial shade
  • Attracts bees and hummingbirds

Heirloom cornflower, sometimes known as bachelor button, is an annual flowering plant with double blooms and narrow, frilly petals. Heirloom cornflower plants grow swiftly and produce a lot of flowers. The benefits of planting this seed exceeds the ease with which it may be done. The butterflies and beneficial insects it attracts, as well as its natural deer resistance, are popular among gardeners. Blue cornflowers were said to be worn by young men in love in folklore. Plant heirloom cornflower seeds in any of Eden Brothers' colors—blue, red, pink, white, and one we call "Almost Black". (See Eden Brothers' Heirloom Almost Black Cornflower Seeds for further information.)

Heirloom cornflower is a daisy-like herbaceous plant that frequently grows as a weed in cornfields, hence the nickname. Unfortunately, agricultural expansion has put the heirloom cornflower, also known as the bachelor button, in jeopardy in its original environment of Europe, yet it thrives throughout North America.

Choose a planting spot with good, well-draining soil with a pH level between 6.6 and 7.8 to cultivate your own heirloom cornflowers. Heirloom cornflower grows best in full sun, although it may also tolerate moderate shade. After the threat of frost has gone, broadcast plant your seeds directly on the surface of the soil in early to mid-spring. Because seeds require sunshine to germinate effectively, compress them without covering them.

Thin out your heirloom cornflower seeds to a spacing of eight to twelve inches between plants once they have germinated. Maintain a hydrated but not muddy soil. Heirloom cornflower is drought-tolerant, but watering during periods of drought will aid blossoming. Depending on the cultivar, heirloom cornflower or bachelor button flowers can reach a height of 12 to 35 1/2 inches. Cut back the growth and remove the debris from the planting area once your blooms have died back for the season.

Heirloom cornflower or bachelor button is often planted with staple grain crops such as wheat and oats, as it helps keep the soil arable. Additionally, heirloom cornflower looks absolutely beautiful planted next to pansies, snapdragons, and zinnias.

For more information about planting, growing, and caring for heirloom cornflower flower seed, see the Cornflower Seeds Planting Guide.