There are so many new plants to try, it gets so exciting every spring! But this year I want to leave a little space in our garden for even a few short rows of dependable, old-fashioned tried and true favorites like asters, zinnias, and bachelor buttons.
Bachelor buttons were another favorite in my “patch” as a little gardener. They are an easy plant, and always seemed to grow and gift me with many blooms that I picked and presented to Mom in a slightly squashed handful; she always displayed them with great pride in a small vase or cup in a place of honor on our kitchen table. Later on, when I was making flower arrangements for the house, I used to love the pops of dark blue bachelor buttons mixed in with clumps of delicate white achillea “The Pearl”. Always so pretty!
Bachelor buttons, also called “cornflowers”, are members of the centaurea family. They grow on long, slender stems with thin, silvery gray leaves. Blue is the most well-known color, but they also come in purples, pink and white. They make great cut flowers, and even one in a slender bud vase can perk up a tabletop.
We can seed bachelor buttons outdoors after the danger of frost is past. The plants like full sun, and an area with good drainage. There are really no pests or diseases that bother the bachelor buttons, although in a very wet year they might have a problem with mildew. Plant the seeds in a row for cut flowers, or add them to a border in mass plantings for a real pop of color. Lucky for us, it flowers all summer for our enjoyment! What a wonderful, and often over-looked, plant!
There is a height for any garden, as plants range in size from about eighteen inches up to thirty six inches. If you would like to save the bachelor button seed, just let the flowers fade away while still on the plant. Then pick the dried-up flowers, put them in a dry location like a shed or the garage, and let them dry for a few more days. After that, just rub the blooms and the seeds will come out easily. Save them in an envelope for next year!
While reading about the bachelor button, I found a few little interesting factoids to share with you. Whether because of their beauty or some other long-lost symbolism, a wreath of bachelor buttons was discovered in the tomb of King Tut. Maybe he was a gardener, too!
Have you ever wondered why bachelor buttons are sometimes called cornflowers? It was because long ago, these lovely blooms weren’t as appreciated as they are now; they were considered weeds and grew wild in corn or grain fields.
The flower has been so popular that almost all of us probably have them in our kitchens. Guess why? Corning Ware Glass used the “Cornflower” design when it released the first pyro Ceram cookware; the design was so popular, not only in Canada and the United States but in Britain and Australia, that it became the symbol of the entire company, the Corning Glass Works.
And one more little gem: legend said that the “bachelor button” was worn on the lapel of young men who were in love. Lovely to look at, but if the flower wilted quickly, it was a sign that the young man’s love was not returned, poor guy!
Let’s plant some of these blue beauties in our gardens this year! They’ll reward us with a season of blooms to enjoy! The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society is on Wednesday, May 18 — circle that date on your calendar! Have a great week! Keep up with the group at www.yorktonhort.ca
