Description
Blue Boy Bachelor Button Seeds
The Brilliant Blue Flower Every Garden Needs.
True blue is surprisingly rare in the flower world.
Blue Boy Bachelor Button delivers it in abundance.
Covered in intensely blue, delicately fringed blooms, this classic annual brings effortless cottage-garden beauty to beds, borders, wildflower plantings, and bouquets. It’s fast-growing, easy from seed, loved by pollinators, and remarkably tolerant of less-than-perfect conditions.
And those beautiful flowers aren’t just decorative—the petals are edible, too.
Why Grow Blue Boy Bachelor Button?
💙 Incredible true-blue flowers.
Few garden flowers produce such an intense natural blue. The distinctive fringed blooms stand out beautifully among whites, yellows, pinks, and other wildflowers.
🐝 Loved by pollinators.
The nectar- and pollen-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and other beneficial insects.
💐 Excellent cut flower.
Long stems and brilliant blooms make Bachelor Buttons wonderful for fresh bouquets and informal arrangements.
🍽️ Edible petals.
The colorful petals can be used to decorate salads, cakes, drinks, desserts, and other dishes. Their mild flavor makes them especially useful as a colorful garnish.
🌱 Wonderfully easy to grow.
Bachelor Buttons tolerate average soils and cool weather and readily grow from seeds sown directly in the garden.
A Cottage Garden Classic
Also known as Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus has been cultivated in gardens for centuries.
Its unmistakable blue coloration comes largely from anthocyanin pigments arranged in an unusual molecular complex responsible for the flower’s striking hue.
Today, Bachelor Buttons remain favorites in cottage gardens, cutting gardens, pollinator plantings, and wildflower meadows.
Growing Information
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Average, well-drained soil
Planting Depth: Approximately ¼ inch
Spacing: 6–12 inches apart
Germination: Approximately 7–14 days
Water: Keep evenly moist while establishing; mature plants tolerate relatively dry conditions
Height: Approximately 24–36 inches
Bloom: Late spring through summer
Life Cycle: Annual
Growing Tip
Bachelor Buttons prefer cool conditions and are excellent candidates for direct sowing.
Plant in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. In areas with mild winters, seeds can also be sown in fall for an earlier display the following season.
Deadhead spent flowers to encourage continued blooming—or leave some flowers to mature if you’d like them to self-seed.
Perfect For
- Cottage gardens
- Cut flower gardens
- Pollinator gardens
- Wildflower plantings
- Borders
- Raised beds
- Bouquets
- Edible flower gardens
Try pairing Blue Boy with California poppies, calendula, cosmos, coreopsis, echinacea, black-eyed Susans, and white alyssum for an incredible display.
Did You Know?
💙 True blue is rare in nature. Bachelor Buttons are famous for producing one of the most recognizable blue flowers in the garden.
🍰 The petals are edible. Sprinkle them over salads, desserts, cheese boards, or drinks for an unforgettable splash of natural color.
🐝 Pollinators love them. Their open flowers provide easily accessible food for a variety of beneficial insects.
💐 They’re excellent for cutting. Regularly harvesting flowers can actually encourage plants to keep producing more blooms.
🌱 They may self-seed. Allow some flowers to mature at the end of the season and you may find new Bachelor Buttons appearing the following year.
Plant a Little More Blue.
Blue Boy Bachelor Button doesn’t ask for much.
Give it sunshine, soil, and a little water—and it rewards you with armfuls of brilliant blue flowers.
Grow them for the bees.
Cut them for the kitchen table.
Scatter edible petals across a summer meal.
Or simply plant them because a garden can always use a little more blue.
Plant Blue Boy Bachelor Button—and bring one of nature’s most extraordinary colors into your garden.