Centaurea 'John Coutts'
knapweed
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained, preferably poor soil
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Flowering period: June and September
- Flower colour: pinky-mauve
- Other features: the flowers are attractive to butterflies and bees
- Hardiness: fully hardy
- Garden care: Stake with bamboo canes or brushwood before the flowers appear. Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering. In autumn cut the faded flowerheads down to the ground and compost the dead stems. Lift and divide large clumps every three years in spring.
Rich, pinkish-mauve, cornflower-like flowers will often continue to appear from early summer to early autumn, especially if they are dead-headed regularly. This perennial knapweed will thrive in poor soils and is ideal for both sunny meadows or herbaceous borders.
- Eventual Height: 0.6m
- Eventual Spread: 0.35m