Cornflower field - a flower with healing properties. Blue cornflowers and not only: growing in the garden

Cornflower - ornamental plant from the Asteraceae family. In nature, it comes in blue, pink, purple, red, white, burgundy and yellow. Grows among spikelets of wheat in the field. Cornflowers, as seen in the photo, look like light snowflakes. They are getting more and more popular. Flowers are planted in flower beds and household plots. The picture is proof of that.

The people blue cornflower called a voloshka. The plant is an annual, it can reach a height of up to 80 cm. There is always one double or semi-double bud up to 5 cm in diameter on its stem. Blooms from mid-June to late autumn.

This flower is widespread in Asia, America and especially in Europe. You can also meet him at North Africa. Scientists count up to 500 species of this plant, differing in the shape of the edges of the flower and the baskets of inflorescences. They are cylindrical and spherical, as seen in the picture.

1. Mountain cornflower. Perennial, reaching a height of 40 cm, with blue flowers that bloom in June-July.
2. Bleached cornflower. The name was given due to the unusual color of the leaves (whitish-pubescent below). It can grow up to 80 cm in height. The flowers are bright pink in color, with a white center.
3. The large-headed cornflower (pictured) has bright yellow flowers and large buds up to 80 cm high, as seen in the photo.
4. Beautiful cornflower. It has pinnately dissected leaves and pinkish-lilac flowers, spherical in shape and reaches a height of only 20 cm.
5. Rough cornflower (photo) has a purple color, can reach a height of 1 meter.

You can admire the plant in the photo of flowers. Cornflowers look charming.

plant in folk medicine

The plant is medicinal. Its flowers contain flavonoids, dyes, ascorbic acid and carotene. The most effective decoctions and infusions of the plant.

The flower is considered a good diuretic, anti-inflammatory, choleretic and analgesic effect.

Its decoction is taken for diseases of the heart system, headaches and stomach pains.

Baths with a decoction of this plant are used for gynecological diseases, eczema, rheumatism, diathesis, diarrhea, jaundice and dropsy.

But these flowers, like all other plants, have some contraindications. It is required to apply it after consultation with the doctor and only in complex therapy.

Application in cosmetology

The medicinal properties of the plant can use for oily skin, with split ends and falling hair, for the treatment of seborrhea. For this, an infusion of the flowers of the plant is used. They can rinse your head after washing or rub it into the scalp.

Cultivation of cornflower

Growing flowers in the garden should be in open sunny places. If planting is done with other plants, then cornflowers are planted in the first row so that they receive enough light.

Decorate the area with small groups of rolls. Them tall species look great next to shrubs. Flowers not only decorate, but also protect the soil from erosion.

Cornflower is often planted to decorate flower beds. This is a great photo showcase.

In flowerbeds, it looks effective with perennial poppies and calendula. They bloom at the same time, forming an original meadow. For alpine slides, you need to use undersized species plants.

Neighbor plants for cornflower

Cornflowers are not bad combined with the following plants:

• blue aquilegia;
• dicentro;
• silver-blue alpine eryngium;
• catnip Fassen.

Annuals are grown in balcony boxes and in pots on window sills outside.

Seeds are sown in April-May. The soil should be rich in humus with neutral acidity. AT clay soil sand is added. Lime should be added to acidic soil (1 cm layer) once every 3 years and only in autumn.

For abundant flowering top dressing can be carried out before flowering.

Annuals are sown from seeds in open ground spring or autumn. A transplant is not required, because it is poorly tolerated.

If you need seedlings, then it should be grown in peat tablets. It is also necessary to plant in open ground at the end of May.

Seedlings need to be thinned out, leaving a distance between flowers of up to 30 cm.

Propagation by root division

This type of reproduction is used for transplanting perennials. In August, the flowers must be dug up, cut off the stem, leaving only 10 cm in length. Free the roots from the ground, wash and cut into 2 parts. Each part should have 2-3 kidneys.

Delenki are planted in holes fertilized with compost. Seedlings should be watered 3 times a week. But the soil should be slightly dry before watering. Flowers will bloom profusely next summer.

If you need seeds, then you need to wait until the petals on the inflorescence fade and its center darkens. Plucked inflorescences store 3 weeks in a dry place. Then shake the seeds out of the head and store in a paper bag at room temperature.

Disease control

Of the diseases, only fusarium wilt can threaten a cornflower. This is a fungal disease. Therefore, processing is required not only of the plant itself, but also of the soil. The soil is sprinkled with ashes, fertilized with a weak infusion of manure or foundation.

Cornflowers (lat. Centauréa) are valued by flower growers for their unpretentiousness, beauty and abundant long-term flowering. There are varieties suitable for cutting and decorating the site.

In general, cornflowers are trouble-free representatives of the flora. Even the laziest gardeners can safely plant them. Composing bouquets, cornflower blue baskets are classically combined with white and.

Botanical description

The genus cornflower belongs to the Asteraceae family. It includes about 500 species.

The plant can be annual, biennial or perennial. Most are perennials.

Plants are upright and recumbent. Stems of various heights. Most high views reach 120 cm.

The underground part consists of a rhizome (perennial cornflower) or a taproot (annual plants).

The inflorescence of any aster representative is a basket, similar to a shield or panicle. The outer flowers are funnel-shaped, the central ones are tubular. The shape of the inflorescences are spherical or cylindrical. The color is different.

Flowers are unpretentious, practically do not get sick. Perennials are winter-hardy and drought-resistant. But annuals are especially drought-resistant. Their tap root is able to extract moisture from great depths.

Flowers are undemanding to the soil, they prefer soils poor in humus and rich in calcium. All varieties are photophilous, so they can not be sown densely. Any species is capable of self-seeding.

Species and varieties

Blue cornflower is an annual, the most famous representative of the genus. In temperate latitudes, it is ubiquitous in open spaces and is considered a weed in cereal fields. The plant is considered medicinal.

Breeders have greatly improved the usual blue cornflower - its flower in the photo in seed catalogs is sometimes difficult to recognize. On sale there are varieties of various colors - from white to almost black.

View	Biology	Soil Requirements	reproduction	decorative properties
Eastern Centaurea orientalis	perennial	Slightly alkaline, light sandy	The division of the bush, cuttings	Yellow thistle-like inflorescences, height 80-120 cm
Mountain Centaurea montana	perennial	Neutral and slightly alkaline sands and loams	Seeds without seedlings, divisions with three or more buds	Height up to 60 cm, color blue and blue
Blue Centaurea cyanus	annual	Ph 6-8, loam, sand	Seedless, seedless	Height 35-80 cm. Color white, brown, blue, light blue, raspberry. There are two color varieties. Inflorescences up to 4 cm in diameter
Large-capitated Centaurea macrocephala	perennial	Ph 6-8, loam	Seeds, division, offspring	Height over 100 cm. Color yellow, heads up to 5 cm in diameter, single
Musk Centaurea moschata	Annuals and biennials	Ph 7.0, sand and loam	Sowing seeds in open ground	Height 50-80 cm. Color white, yellow, lilac, purple

Types of cornflowers in the photo:

Varieties of cornflower are extremely diverse. Breeders managed to create dwarf and giant forms of atypical colors. Terry cornflowers have already appeared - their cultivation from seeds is available even to beginners.

Different varieties of cornflowers in the photo:

For gardeners who grow flowers for the sake of bouquets, tall, large-flowered perennial varieties are most interesting. They are beautiful, stand in vases for a long time, are suitable for arranging any bouquets, do not freeze out in winter, are durable, unpretentious.

Plants bloom in June-July. Annuals will immediately please lush bloom. Perennials in the first year will only show the first flowers, they will reveal their decorative potential in 2-3 years.

If you cut the flowers in June-July almost at the level of the soil, the second wave of flowering will begin by autumn.

Reproduction methods

Annuals are sown before winter or in early spring. Perennials are usually planted in spring in well-warmed soil, dug up and fertilized. Acidic soil must be limed.

Perennials are propagated by segments of rhizomes and divisions. Plants are planted at a distance of 50 cm.

In the planting hole, the roots are straightened to the sides and down, covered with earth and watered. Care must be taken not to deepen them too much. If a lower leaves are in the ground and need to be replanted. In a properly planted bush, the leaves begin at the level of the soil.

There is a subtlety in the reproduction of mountain cornflower. After dividing the bush, it is imperative to cut the stem, then the bush will take root on next year bloom. If the stem is left, the delenka will not overwinter.

Perennial species grow rapidly, turning into picturesque curtains. They are divided every 3 years. If the flowering in the previous season was no less lush than usual, there is no need to divide. AT good conditions the bush will grow in one place up to 10 years.

They start dividing in August, after flowering:

• dig a bush;
• cut it into several divisions;
• land on a new site with an interval of 30-40 cm.

Often, those who want to have a cornflower on the site and plan to grow it from seeds do not know when to plant them. Seeds can be sown from the second half of April. Culture does not like transplantation. It is better to sow it immediately in the right place. If the seedlings are too thick, they can be partially weeded out.

You can grow cornflower from seeds in the fall. Winter sowing begins when stable autumn frosts are established. AT middle lane this period falls on October, beyond the Urals - at the end of September.

You can sow until a permanent snow cover is established. This flower is not afraid of the cold, but the snow will make sowing work difficult, so the bed must be prepared in advance: dig up, fertilize and make furrows.

In autumn, seeds are sown more often and more shallowly than in spring, since their germination will decrease. Over the winter, the top layer of soil can turn into a dense crust, and it will be difficult for seedlings to break through it. Therefore, it is better to cover the seeds in the grooves not with earth, but with peat or other loose substrate.

Watering winter crops Not needed. In the spring, when the snow melts, they have enough natural moisture.

plant care

The flower is very unpretentious. To grow a cornflower, only three things are required from a grower: planting, watering and weeding.

Cornflowers - inhabitants of open ground. They have no place in the room and the greenhouse. Bushes thrive in the bright sun, so for their planting you need to choose open spaces away from trees and buildings.

Flowers for a long time are able to do without watering. Meadow and mountain need watering more than others, but even they cannot stand waterlogging.

Cornflowers love loose, light, poor soils. If the soil in the area is clayey, sand must be added during planting. The flower garden can not be loosened, but only weeded.

If the leaves began to turn yellow between the veins, this is a sign of chlorosis. So the soil is too acidic. In such cases, a thin layer is poured onto the soil surface. dolomite flour or fluff and slightly loose.

The best time for liming is October and September. During the autumn rains, the ameliorant will be washed into the deeper layers of the soil and reach the roots.

For fertilizer, any complex composition is suitable. Top dressing allows you to increase the flowering time, but excessive nutrition leads to the opposite effect - the plants will stop blooming, begin to fatten, throwing out more and more leaves.

Any, even the most beautiful cornflower, can easily turn into a weed, therefore, after flowering, the shoots must be cut off, preventing the formation of seeds. If the plants are grown for cutting, they need to be watered and fed every two weeks.

A detailed, visual and high-quality review on the video from the Garden World channel:

Diseases and pests

Cornflowers are not threatened by diseases and pests, so preventive or therapeutic measures are not required.

In rare cases, leaves covered with suspicious spots are cut and burned. The following year, the bush will be covered with young and healthy leaves.

From chemicals against any spotting, you can use foundationazole.

Cornflower in landscape design

Perennial species can be planted in. They are not as light-requiring as annuals, but they still really need light. Therefore, in group plantings, aster perennials are located on the south side.

If you sow the site with a mixture of low natural perennial herbs, and sow unpretentious low annual flowers (cornflower, flax, escholcia, self-seeded flax), you get a practical alternative to the Mauritanian lawn. In such a composition, you can use any natural plants that grow successfully in a particular area: clover, thyme, periwinkle, budru, bluegrass.

Medicinal properties

Medicinal properties are most pronounced in blue cornflower. In that wild flower includes organic compounds with antimicrobial, antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects.

Infusion and decoction of Centaurea cyanus are taken for a number of diseases:

• stones in the kidneys;
• chronic diseases of the urinary tract and prostate;
• swelling;
• hypertension;
• hepatitis;
• cystitis;
• fever;
• headache;
• conjunctivitis.

Cornflower preparations are poisonous. They are forbidden to be taken without consulting your doctor. Due to the toxicity, decoctions and infusions are not used in the treatment of pregnant women and children.

Where to buy cornflower seeds?

Cornflower seeds remain viable for up to 5 years. You can assemble your own planting material and store it in paper bags and canvas bags at room temperature.

Planting material is offered by online stores:

Score	Packing, g	Price, r
Semenapost	0,1-1	11- 95
	0,1-0,5	12-16
First seeds	14-80	0,1-0,5

Cornflower is a wild flower loved by many. It pleases us not only with its pure blue color, but also with many useful and healing properties. It is brewed to relieve fatigue from the eyes, with boils, cystitis and many other diseases. He is an excellent honey plant, which gives us healing and tasty honey.

What does a cornflower look like and where does it grow?

Cornflower has long been known among the people as the first herald of this summer. In mid-June, and in some areas already at the end of May, it appears in fields sown with rye, meadows and along roads.

Everyone knows what a cornflower looks like. This is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant, up to 60 centimeters high with a thin stem and lanceolate leaves 1-4 centimeters long. Cornflower blue or field - beautiful flower rich blue color with delicate petals collected in a basket.

It blooms from May, June to September. Seeds ripen at the end of summer.

The cornflower belongs to the Astrov family and includes about 734 species that differ from each other in the shape and color of the petals. Homeland is considered Southern Europe, but it grows all over the world: in Europe, Asia, Australia, America.

On our territory, the most common blue or field cornflower, meadow cornflower, Russian cornflower, mountain cornflower, which grow almost throughout the territory, excluding areas of the far north. Some types of cornflower are listed in the Red Book and are protected by the states of many countries.

Cornflower is considered a weed that clogs grain crops. The most favorite places of its growth are along roads, forest edges, meadows. But the most favorite place is crops of rye, barley, wheat.

Cornflower useful properties

Main components chemical composition cornflower flowers are:

Anthocyanins;

glycosides;

Flavonoids;

Alkaloids.

In addition, it contains:

vitamins;

Minerals;

Dyes (pigment protocyanin);

Essential oil;

Coumarins;

Tannins.

The main mineral salts in it are potassium and magnesium salts - two very important minerals for the human body.

The blue cornflower plant is not for a bouquet - plucked, it does not stand in a vase for a long time, and fades the very next day. But it retains nutrients and color very well when dried. For which they like to collect it for bouquets of dried flowers.

Cornflower medicinal properties

The health benefits of cornflower are little described, although even Aristotle resorted to treatment from cornflower decoctions. Preparations prepared on its basis have such properties as:

antipyretic;

Diuretic;

laxatives;

Tonic;

Stimulants;

Antimicrobial;

Cholagogue;

Painkillers.

Cornflower indications for use

AT official medicine blue cornflower flowers are used in collections as a diuretic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic agent. It is mainly prescribed for renal and cardiac edema, nephritis, cystitis, urethritis. The choleretic properties of the herb are used to treat the liver and bile ducts.

Much wider application in traditional medicine where flower petals, leaves and roots are used for treatment. It has long been used as effective remedy for the treatment of conjunctivitis, as well as in the form of lotions to relieve eye fatigue.

Preparations from it in the form of decoctions, compresses, infusions are prescribed for:

• Pain in the heart;
• Inflammations of various kinds;
• urinary system disorders;
• dropsy;
• jaundice;
• Women's diseases (delayed menstruation);
• diarrhea;
• headaches;
• Rheumatism;
• Diathesis (children);
• eczema;
• Stretching of tendons and muscles;
• Inflammation and redness of the eyes, barley;
• Chronic kidney disease.

Cornflower is also used as an anesthetic, antipyretic, sedative and bactericidal agent, for weight loss.

Collection and preparation of raw materials

How medicinal plant in official medicine, blue or field cornflower is used. In folk medicine, meadow cornflower is sometimes used, which has pink-lilac flowers.

You can harvest the plant only during the flowering period, which lasts a long period.

To do this, choose fully blooming specimens, remove sluggish and faded leaves, cut off flower petals from a flower basket.

The resulting material is dried only in the shade in order to preserve all the beneficial substances. Petals that have lost their color after drying are not used for treatment, as they have lost their healing properties.

To prepare compresses and lotions, heal wounds and remove warts, dry seeds are used, previously dried in the same way.

Usually, after three to four days, the prepared material dries completely and is ready for storage. To do this, it is placed in an airtight glassware and use for two years.

Cornflower roots are also used in folk medicine. They are harvested during the flowering period, along with the rest of the plant. The roots are cleaned and dried in the usual way. For storage, paper bags or cardboard boxes are most often used.

Cornflower application

There are a number of recipes in which blue cornflower is used in fresh. For example, a drink from cornflower, the recipe of which is quite simple.

5-7 grams of cornflower petals (a teaspoon with a slide) is poured with a glass of boiling water and infused for half an hour.

Tea or a drink with cornflower can be drunk immediately or diluted with boiling water, like tea leaves. Such a tool, thanks to the biologically active substances contained in it, will perfectly remove headache, fever and swelling, quench thirst.

Tea prepared in this way perfectly stimulates the appetite if drunk half an hour before a meal.

Cornflower blue for heart disease

Blue cornflower perfectly copes with the restoration of the body after heart disease. To do this, prepare an oil extract.

100 grams of herbal mass is crushed, poured into 2 glasses vegetable oil(preferably olive) and insist in a warm place (preferably in the sun) for 20 days. It is best to use an opaque, tightly closed container for this. The resulting mixture is filtered and taken 1 teaspoon on an empty stomach every day.

The extract contributes to the normalization of heart pressure, the removal of puffiness and the disinfection of the body. The course of treatment is 2 months and it can be repeated only after six months.

collection for hypertension

Take 15 grams of each plant: blue cornflower flowers, chokeberry berries, yarrow, white mistletoe leaves, valerian root, hawthorn fruit, horsetail.

Brew one tablespoon of the collection with 200 ml of boiling water and leave for 30 minutes. Strain and drink 70 ml after each meal.

To relieve eye fatigue

To relieve fatigue from the eyes, puffiness, and restore eye color, a collection with cornflower is used.

Flowers of cornflower, snapdragon, eyebright and elderberry are taken in equal proportions, crushed and mixed in a dry bowl. In a ratio of 1 to 100, the mixture is poured with boiling water and infused in a warm place (or better in a thermos) for 6 hours.

Such an infusion is perfect for instillation into the eyes, for lotions that are applied to the eyes for 10-15 minutes, after which the skin should be thoroughly rinsed with warm water.

With constant use, the color of the eye protein is restored, and vision improves, the mucous membrane of the eye is restored. Treatment is carried out in several stages, for a month each with interruptions.

Tiredness from the eyes will quickly be removed and an infusion of cornflower, prepared according to this recipe.

Cornflower flowers - dry or fresh, pour boiling water in a ratio of 1 to 20 (2 tsp per glass) and insist in a warm place for 2 hours, wrapped well. Then strain and use for eye baths.

Collection to stop bleeding

The crushed dry roots of the cornflower are combined in equal proportions with the crushed grass of yarrow and horsetail. 10-15 grams of the collection (2 tablespoons) is poured into 100 grams of water (half a glass) and boiled over low heat until the liquid evaporates by half. Take 2 tablespoons every hour until the bleeding stops completely and fix the result over the next two days, using the same dose once a day.

Cornflower tincture on vodka

Alcohol tincture of cornflower field will perfectly cope with jaundice, genitourinary diseases, kidney diseases.

To prepare it, you need to insist dry petals on vodka (100 grams per liter) for two weeks.

One tablespoon of tincture is taken before meals two to three times a day, drinking plenty of water.

For constipation

2 teaspoons of cornflower roots brew 200 ml hot water and insist 2 hours. Strain and take a tablespoon 3-4 times a day before meals for 15-20 minutes.

Cornflower in cosmetology

Cornflower is used for rinsing hair, as a lotion for wiping oily skin.

Pour a tablespoon of flowers with 0.5 liters of a mixture of vinegar and water, taken in equal proportions. Leave for half an hour and filter. Rub this mixture twice a day into the hair roots. Rinse your head with plain water before going to bed.

This lotion helps to restore the structure and strengthen the hair.

To care for oily skin, prepare a lotion by brewing 50 grams of fresh petals with 0.5 liters of boiling water. Insist for an hour and strain.

Wipe your face daily with this lotion. Store in refrigerator or freeze cubes.

Contraindications and side effects

The main feature due to which cornflower is used with great care is the content of cyanide in it. There is no scientifically proven and determined safe dose for taking plant preparations at the moment.

Therefore, this flower is considered poisonous and should be used very carefully. In any form, it is forbidden to contact with flowers, and especially with cornflower juice, pregnant women, women during lactation and babies.

Take infusions, decoctions with great care, after consulting your doctor, especially if you are taking other medicines.

If any side effects occur, taking drugs with cornflower should be stopped immediately and consult a doctor.

Sensitive people, especially those who are allergic to the aster family, such as sunflower, dandelion and others, may experience an allergic reaction.

Since cornflower has anti-inflammatory properties, care should be taken when treating with anti-inflammatory drugs at the same time.

Taking decoctions and infusions of herbs can cause a recurrence of urolithiasis, especially when taken simultaneously with drugs used to treat urolithiasis.

The field flower cornflower is not just a plant. It pleases the eye, heals and helps people in everyday life. This weed is great for coloring Blue colour woolen products, used to make vinegars and as a seasoning for cereals, soups, gravies and sauces.

Cornflower honey is considered the most useful and highly valued by beekeepers. And in the old days, with the help of this flower, rituals were performed, consecrated dwellings and protected from the evil eye. The health benefits of cornflower are almost invaluable - decoctions, infusions, lotions, oils and much more, everyone can choose individually.

Learn more about the medicinal properties of this beautiful flower

Gardeners appreciate the many flowers that can be planted in the garden without any problems and thus decorate the territory. Among them are cornflowers - wonderful, iridescent flowers, the species of which, thanks to breeders, have become quite a lot. Let's learn how to properly plant cornflowers in the ground and care for them.

plant description

Cornflower is a wonderful-looking flower with many popular names - blavat, commotion, voloshka, beaver and others. This plant since ancient times, it has been repeatedly described in fairy tales and legends, and has also been used as an epithet or accompanying word in epics and poems. And not in vain, because the plant really deserves respect and attention. Today, there are more than 500 types of cornflowers in the world, which grow beautifully in Europe, Asia and America.

Cornflower is an ornamental plant that can reach a height of 40 to 120 cm. It is decorated with pinnately dissected or whole leaves, which are arranged in the next order on the stem. Flowers represent an enviable variety of shades and shapes for every gardener and breeder - blue, purple, blue, pink, whitish, yellow.

Cornflower flowers (video)

A beautiful and stately flower pleases the eye from the end of June until August. In horticulture, a distinction is made between annual and perennial varieties, which combine ease of care, hardiness and striking attractiveness.

Photo gallery

Growing cornflowers

Arrangement of plants in the garden

In order for the bean plants to grow strong and bloom brightly and for a long time, they, of course, need to find the right place in the garden. It should be an open, well-lit area. Since the flowers are photophilous, when planting, you must definitely observe a certain distance between the bushes and plants, which, depending on the species, can be from 15 to 50 cm.

This is necessary so that the seedlings do not shade each other. When planting in flower beds, in palisades, in small flower beds, you should observe the first-row landing on south side so that sunlight is evenly distributed on the leaves of plants.

Proper watering

Cornflowers require moderate watering. Basically, plants even tolerate drought, this applies to large-headed cornflower, Russian, Marshall, musky and blue. These species have a fairly well developed rod system, which allows them to easily survive even the driest summer. These species should be watered very rarely, no more than once every 2-3 weeks. Other varieties are preferable to moderately moist soils.

In their list: mountain cornflower, Phrygian, meadow, soft, blue, Fischer's cornflower. At the same time, there is a common feature that unites absolutely all types of flower under itself - they absolutely cannot stand waterlogging.

soil for the plant

Most beavers prefer fertile soil rich in humus. It should be neutral in acidity. However, there are also species that grow well in alkaline soil - Marshall's cornflower, musky, Russian and mountain. It is advisable to remove weeds around the plant more often, loosen the soil, preventing overcompaction. It is worth noting that it is necessary to not only prepare and select the soil on demand, but also to influence it, that is, if the soil is clayey - add sand, acidic - lime every 2-3 years. The liming process should take place in the pre-winter period by spreading lime on the soil surface with a layer of no more than 1 cm. Dolomitic limestone can also be used for this.

Feeding flowers in the garden

Like any other plant, cornflowers require not only careful care, but also top dressing of the soil in which they grow. This should be done every 12-14 days, using a special complex of fertilizers. Quantity - about 20 - 30 grams per each square meter planting plants. This top dressing is able to provide cornflowers with vitality and long flowering. But do not overdo it with top dressing, as an overdose can cause plant disease. Do not forget to feed the soil even before wintering, this will give additional strength and give the flowers the opportunity to endure the cold more stubbornly.

Reproduction of flower culture

Cornflowers are propagated in two ways - by dividing the bush and by seeds.

Planting and transplanting takes place from August 10 to 30. The bush chosen for division is dug up, ground shoots are cut off at a distance of about 10 cm from the root system. The roots are washed in clean water and cut with a sharp knife into several parts so that each of them has a daughter kidney. Further, each individual part is planted in the prepared soil. The holes are best fertilized with compost, pouring it with a layer of up to five centimeters.

annual varieties planted and propagated only by seeds. They need to be sown in early May. It is best if the seeds immediately fall into open ground. If the plant is initially grown indoors, in a pot, then initially it should be placed in peat cup and landing in the ground should take place directly in it, since cornflowers do not tolerate such transplants.

Perennial varieties should be planted in open ground in October - November or in spring, in April. The first shoots will appear within 10-14 days after planting, but you can only see flowering in the second year.

Growing cornflowers (video)

plant diseases

Cornflowers do not need any special protection measures, as they are very disease resistant. Sometimes they can be affected by fusarium - dark spots on the leaves. Such a disease is easily eliminated chemical treatment with the help of foundation.

Modest and very attractive garden cornflowers have inspired artists and poets since ancient times. blue flower was the most common image in folk song and artistic creativity, girls wove wreaths of cornflowers to decorate, used it for divination. It is used both as a spice and as a dye. Bees flock from all around for nectar-bearing flowers.

Known since antiquity medicinal properties cornflower. Loosely translated, "Centaurea cyanus" means "Blue Centaur Flower". This name is associated with the story of the wounding of the Centaur by the arrow of Hercules and of his miraculous cure with the help of juice. And he got his Slavic name thanks to the boy Vasya, who refused reciprocity to the mermaid - for this she turned the guy into a sky-blue flower.

Description of the garden cornflower

Over 700 varieties have been described so far. herbaceous plant from the Compositae family. The genus cornflower combines about 500 species of herbaceous annuals or perennials. First of all, they are valued for their unpretentiousness, and leaves. The stem is straight or recumbent, strongly branched up to 80 cm. The leaf blades are smooth or pubescent. Flowers of ultramarine shades in round or oblong inflorescences - baskets. The fruit is an achene with a crest, small and inedible.

Growing a perennial garden cornflower

• Prefers a place well lit by the sun, open places, spaciousness, but easily tolerates some shading.
• Requires virtually no maintenance. Good for Alpine rollercoaster, like a border plant, in flower beds.
• Unusually good surrounded by cereals. It is used in meadow style plantings, where it is especially good in combination with white and yellow flowers.
• Great for harsh winters. In one place without a transplant can live for more than 10 years.

How to grow annual and perennial cornflower from seeds

Cornflower can become a luxurious, and at the same time, inexpensive decoration of the garden, if grown from seeds. Even though flowers are best known blue color, these annuals come in pink, white, red, lavender, and maroon tones.

Cornflowers produce single or double flowers with a fringe of dissected petals and grey-green leaves. Dwarf varieties suitable for edging and borders, while higher grades are popular in cottage gardens. However, since it is more difficult to obtain from local nurseries, planting cornflower seeds is the only way to propagate them in the garden. Luckily, they are easy to grow both indoors and outdoors.

• seeds annual species sown in the spring in a permanent place in fertilized soil, when the soil warms up enough.
• perennial species sown in an unheated greenhouse or grown for seedlings at home and transplanted in October to a permanent place.

Later they are propagated by dividing the bush or cuttings. It is best to divide perennial species after flowering, after having carried out a low pruning. They are planted at a distance of 45 cm - this makes it possible to independently form a beautiful shape for the plant.

Planting cornflower seeds in open ground

In areas with mild winters, cornflower seeds can be sown outdoors in September. They will germinate in the fall and take root to bloom in the spring. However, for colder climatic conditions, it is better to sow cornflower seeds in the spring, as soon as the weather permits. Several successive plantings of cornflower seeds will result in almost continuous flowering throughout the entire growing season. This is because annual cornflowers are not long-lived plants. A second planting in spring is recommended if cornflower seeds are first sown in autumn.

Sow seeds in slightly alkaline garden soil to a depth of 2-2.5 cm. Stratification can be done: moisten the seeds and keep in the refrigerator until germination, this is about seven to 10 days for annuals and two to three and a half weeks for perennial varieties. Sown in the garden for seedlings, the plants are then transplanted at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other.

Planting cornflower seeds for seedlings at home

Cornflower seeds are sown for seedlings about a month before the last frost or a month before planting in open ground. If planted at the end of April, it should be sown at the end of March.

Fill prepared containers with potting soil or take peat pots. After the containers are filled, moisten the mixture and let the water drain. Then, three or four cornflower seeds are sown in a pot and covered with foil. Place them in a warm place for the seeds to germinate. Shelter will create a greenhouse effect, and high humidity and heat will promote rapid germination.

After germination, the shelter is removed and the containers are placed in a sunny place. When a pair of true leaves appears, the strongest plants are selected to save them for transplanting into the open ground, and the remaining seedlings are pinched off at soil level. It should be fed once with a complex water-soluble fertilizer. Upon reaching a height of 8-10 cm, the seedlings of the garden cornflower are ready for planting.

Garden cornflower care

• Top dressing. Feed moderately once every two weeks.
• Watering. Cornflower loves moisture, but does not tolerate waterlogging, tolerates drought well. Usually rare summer rains are enough for him.
• Pruning. Mainly used to maintain appearance. It is timely to cut dry inflorescences in order to avoid unwanted resettlement of cornflower throughout garden plot. Perennial specimens after flowering are pruned at a height of 10 cm.

Diseases and pests

It is very rare, but it happens, with waterlogging, leaf spot occurs, powdery mildew, gray rot, rust, which are dealt with by appropriate preparations.

From insects, aphids harm cornflowers, spider mite, leaflet. Good result in the fight against these insects, it gives irrigation with tar water (5 drops of birch tar per 10 liters of water). The smell of tar repels many pests, such treatment does not harm the environment.

Types of garden cornflowers

Cornflowers, which are grown today, are bred by selection from a wild-growing species that grows like a weed in cereal fields, on roadsides, clearings and wastelands.

American cornflower Centaurea Americana

Originally from the prairies of North America, it can reach a height of 1 m. It has pale lilac flowers with a diameter of 8-10 cm. Very cold-resistant, decorative, blooms in August.

Cornflower bleached Centaurea dealbata

White cornflower Centaurea dealbata ‘Steenbergii’ photo

Originally from the Caucasus, tall, reaching a meter height plant with very beautiful, colorful, fragrant flowers. Cultivated for cutting. The most refined of the perennial cornflowers. Likes well-drained garden soil.

Large-headed cornflower Centaurea macrocephala

With its beauty and undemanding nature, it conquered the flower gardens of Europe. In England, it is one of the main plants of mixborders. Its bush keeps its shape perfectly, blooms from July to early October with bright yellow baskets. Feels great on any soil, prefers deep, well-moistened, humus and clay.

Usage

Known since ancient times, cornflower has a wide range of applications:

• for decorative purposes - wreaths are woven from it and bouquets are made;
• used as a natural dye;
• for cosmetic procedures;
• in the alcoholic beverage industry;
• in traditional and folk medicine.

Medicinal properties

In medicine, it is used as a mild diuretic, for lotions for eye diseases, as an anti-inflammatory agent. The decoction and liquid extract have a choleretic effect. Fresh juice is used as a wound healing, and the grass is applied to bruises and tumors. A decoction is used instead of a facial lotion, as an anesthetic for toothaches.
, he fell in love with many flower growers for their sophisticated beauty. Ideal for beginner flower lovers - with a minimum of attention, a positive result is always achieved. It blooms for a long time and at the same time practically does not require care. Perennial species attract even the most sophisticated flower lovers with their ease of cultivation, beauty and charm.