• A close-up of vibrant blue and pink Cornflower Blue Ball blooms from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, thriving in a grassy field—these cut-and-come-again flowers are a beautiful nectar source for bees beneath a partly cloudy sky.
  • A vibrant field of Cornflower Blue Ball from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd blooms under a bright sky. Trees and a white greenhouse are visible in the distance, and these flowers offer excellent nectar for bees.
  • A hand holds a vibrant Cornflower Blue Ball bloom by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, with a ladybug in its center. These cut-and-come-again flowers are great for bees. Green leaves and a wooden post appear in the background.
  • Bright blue Cornflower Blue Ball blooms from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd stand out among green stems. Grown from seeds, these cut-and-come-again flowers are a vivid nectar source for bees.
  • Cornflower Blue Ball seeds from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd produce bright blue blooms with green stems, attracting bees. Wildflowers and green trees fill the background beneath a partly cloudy sky.
  • The Cornflower Blue Ball by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features a yellow circular badge with a stylized black and white bee and the words RHS PLANTS FOR POLLINATORS, showing it&
  • A cluster of vibrant blue blooms grown from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd’s Cornflower Blue Ball seeds, mixed with pale pink and white flowers—an ideal nectar source for bees amid lush greenery under an overcast sky.
  • Cornflower Blue Ball by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features vibrant blue blossoms on green stems, creating a colorful meadow. These cut-and-come-again flowers thrive under cloudy skies and provide excellent nectar for bees.
  • A cluster of vibrant blue Cornflower Blue Ball blooms from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features spiky green stems and buds that flourish outdoors, providing a cut-and-come-again nectar source for bees as they bloom in stages.
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Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd

Cornflower Blue Ball

£2.30
£2.30
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Centaurea cyanus 'Blue Ball' Cornflower 'Blue Ball'

The definitive cornflower — masses of fully double, ruffled blooms in a vivid, electric shade of azure-blue that seems to glow in summer sunlight. If you can grow only one cornflower, grow this one. It is the cottage garden classic, the heritage British wildflower, and the colour that gave its name to "cornflower blue" itself.

Unlike the wispy single-petalled wild form, 'Blue Ball' produces dense, substantial, fully double blooms — proper "Ball"-type rounded heads with ruffled petals that have presence in the border and exceptional substance in the vase. Standing tall on silvery-green stems with characteristic feathery foliage, this is a true "cut-and-come-again" workhorse: the more you cut, the more it flowers, producing buckets of azure-blue stems from early summer right through to the first frosts. Drop a handful into any cottage-style jug and you have an instant designer arrangement. Hardy annual (H7), surviving below -20°C. RHS Plants for Pollinators recognised — the high-quality nectar and accessible flower form attracts bees, butterflies and hoverflies in genuine numbers.

A note on growing

Direct sow outdoors in September for the strongest, earliest-flowering plants — autumn-sown 'Blue Ball' develops massive root systems over winter and bursts into bloom weeks earlier than spring-sown counterparts, producing significantly bushier and more floriferous plants. Or sow March to May for a continuous summer display. Cornflowers have deep taproots and resent being moved, so direct sowing where they are to grow is always the most reliable method. Sow at 3mm depth in well-drained soil. Full sun. Lean, poor soil is essential — rich, manured ground produces excessive leafy growth and weak stems. Sandy or chalky soils are ideal. Plants reach 75–90cm and benefit from light twiggy support (hazel or birch) inserted early to prevent flopping in heavy rain. Deadhead weekly to maintain continuous flowering.

Where it shines

In every cottage garden — this is the heritage classic that defines the look. As a cut flower for cottage-style bouquets, where the electric blue makes everything else read more vividly. In wildflower meadow plantings for a recreated British cornfield look. As a children's garden plant — easy, generous, reliably successful. In any sunny, lean-soiled spot where most plants struggle. In wildlife gardens, where the bee value is exceptional. The flowers are also edible — beautiful sprinkled over white desserts or summer salads.

Plant alongside

For a recreated British cornfield meadow, combine with Poppy 'Flanders Red' for the timeless red-and-blue heritage pairing — both produce high-quality nectar and evoke romantic wildflower meadows of old England. For a cool cottage scheme, the electric blue against the pure white of Ammi majus is a classic. For an all-cornflower palette, combine with 'Snowman' (white), 'Black Ball' (maroon) and 'Mauve Boy' (lilac) for a layered single-genus border.

Shipping information

- No EU import duties.
- Ships within 1-2 business days.
- Ships in our fully recyclable and biodegradable signature boxes.
    A close-up of vibrant blue and pink Cornflower Blue Ball blooms from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, thriving in a grassy field—these cut-and-come-again flowers are a beautiful nectar source for bees beneath a partly cloudy sky.
    A vibrant field of Cornflower Blue Ball from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd blooms under a bright sky. Trees and a white greenhouse are visible in the distance, and these flowers offer excellent nectar for bees.
    A hand holds a vibrant Cornflower Blue Ball bloom by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd, with a ladybug in its center. These cut-and-come-again flowers are great for bees. Green leaves and a wooden post appear in the background.
    Bright blue Cornflower Blue Ball blooms from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd stand out among green stems. Grown from seeds, these cut-and-come-again flowers are a vivid nectar source for bees.
    Cornflower Blue Ball seeds from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd produce bright blue blooms with green stems, attracting bees. Wildflowers and green trees fill the background beneath a partly cloudy sky.
    The Cornflower Blue Ball by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features a yellow circular badge with a stylized black and white bee and the words RHS PLANTS FOR POLLINATORS, showing it&
    A cluster of vibrant blue blooms grown from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd’s Cornflower Blue Ball seeds, mixed with pale pink and white flowers—an ideal nectar source for bees amid lush greenery under an overcast sky.
    Cornflower Blue Ball by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features vibrant blue blossoms on green stems, creating a colorful meadow. These cut-and-come-again flowers thrive under cloudy skies and provide excellent nectar for bees.
    A cluster of vibrant blue Cornflower Blue Ball blooms from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd features spiky green stems and buds that flourish outdoors, providing a cut-and-come-again nectar source for bees as they bloom in stages.