Cornflower Black & Mauve Mix

Two varieties in one packet: the near-black 'Black Ball' and the dusty lilac 'Mauve Boy', put together because they do something for each other that neither does alone. The dark gives the planting weight and the mauve stops it going funereal.

Both are double Ball types, considerably fuller than a wild cornflower, on silver-green stems long enough to cut. Pick a handful, drop them in a jug, and you have something that looks like it cost money. That is the whole appeal of this mix.

What you cannot do is control the ratio. It comes as a blend rather than as two packets, so some rows come out heavier on the dark and some on the mauve, and there is no sorting at the seedling stage because the colour does not show until the buds open. If you need a particular balance, grow the two separately and combine them in the vase. Keep cutting or deadheading either way. A cornflower left to set seed decides it has finished, and a plant that stops in July gives you nothing in September.