Cornflower 'Mauve Boy' Seeds
Delicate, dreamy, and utterly romantic—'Mauve Boy' is the soft, sophisticated sister of the classic blue cornflower. This variety produces beautiful double blooms in a soft lavender-mauve shade that looks like it belongs in a vintage watercolour painting. The colour is incredibly versatile, sitting beautifully alongside both cool blues and warm pinks without ever clashing or dominating.
Despite its delicate appearance, this is a robust, easy-to-grow plant and a generous self-seeder. Keep cutting the flowers for the vase and more will keep on coming—it's the perfect cut-and-come-again cottage garden flower. Standing tall on silvery stems, 'Mauve Boy' makes a wonderful cut flower that lasts brilliantly in water, looking wonderful amongst other blooms in relaxed, informal arrangements. Beloved by bees and pollinators, this is cottage gardening at its most effortlessly pretty.
🌿 Understanding the Plant
Centaurea cyanus is a Hardy Annual (H7), meaning it completes its entire life cycle in one growing season and can withstand temperatures down to -20°C.
The 'Ball' and 'Boy' varieties produce double, ruffled flowers that are far fuller and more substantial than wild cornflowers. The name Centaurea comes from the centaur Chiron in Greek mythology, who was said to have used the plant to heal his wounds—a nod to cornflower's long history in herbal medicine.
The "Autumn Secret": While most gardeners sow cornflowers in spring, the secret to giant plants with hundreds of flowers is to sow in September. These autumn-sown plants establish a huge root system over winter and flower weeks earlier than spring-sown ones, creating bushier, more floriferous plants. They're incredibly hardy and will sail through British winters without protection.
A Generous Guest: Cornflowers are fantastic self-seeders. If you leave a few seed heads on the plants at the end of the season, you'll find baby cornflowers popping up the following year—often in delightful, unexpected places. This makes them perfect for creating naturalistic, relaxed planting schemes that evolve over time.
🌱 Growing Guide
Cornflowers are ridiculously easy to grow and perfect for beginners!
How to Sow:
Sow directly outdoors in Autumn (September) for the strongest plants, or Spring (March-May) for summer blooms. Cornflowers have deep taproots and hate being moved, so direct sowing is always best. Scatter seeds onto raked soil and cover lightly (just 3mm deep). Germination takes 14-21 days.
Where to Plant:
Plant in a spot with full sun and well-drained soil. Here's the key: cornflowers actually prefer lean, poor soil. Rich, manured soil produces lots of leafy growth but weak, floppy stems and fewer flowers. Sandy or chalky soil? Perfect!
Ongoing Care:
Support: 'Mauve Boy' grows tall (75-90cm). In windy, exposed gardens, use twiggy sticks or netting to prevent the heavy flower heads from flopping over.
Deadheading: Keep cutting! Snip off faded flower heads regularly—or better yet, cut stems for the vase—to encourage continuous blooming right through to autumn. Leave some seed heads at the end of the season if you want the plants to self-seed for next year.
📋 Plant Specifications
| Botanical Name | Centaurea cyanus |
| Common Name | Cornflower 'Mauve Boy' |
| Plant Type | Hardy Annual |
| Hardiness | H7 (Very Hardy - survives to -20°C) |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun ☀️ |
| Height | 75-90cm |
| Spread | 30cm |
| Spacing | Plant 30cm apart |
| Flowering Period | June to September |
| Perfect For | ✂️ Cut Flowers 🎨 Romantic Arrangements 🐝 Bee & Butterfly Gardens 🏡 Cottage Borders 🥗 Edible Garnish |
| Seeds per Packet | Approximately 200 seeds |
🤝 Beautiful Garden Combinations
The soft lavender tones of 'Mauve Boy' are wonderfully versatile and create romantic, dreamy planting schemes:
🖤 Cornflower 'Black Ball': The deep, velvet-chocolate of 'Black Ball' creates a stunning vintage contrast with the soft mauve. Together they look like they've been lifted straight from a Dutch Old Master painting—moody, romantic, and impossibly elegant. This combination is particularly beautiful in cut flower arrangements.
🌿 Ammi majus (Bishop's Flower): The lacy white umbels of Ammi add a light, airy quality that prevents the planting from feeling too heavy. The combination of soft mauve and pure white creates a sophisticated, bridal look that works beautifully in both the garden border and the vase. Both are easy hardy annuals that can be autumn-sown together.
📅 Sowing & Flowering Calendar
Sow outdoors in autumn or spring. Flowers from June to September.
💡 Edible Garnish Tip
Cornflower petals are completely edible with a mild, slightly sweet flavour. The soft lavender petals of 'Mauve Boy' look particularly beautiful scattered over wedding cakes, summer desserts, or frozen into ice cubes for an elegant touch at garden parties. They're also lovely floated on top of elderflower cocktails or lavender lemonade.
🏆 Wildlife Champion
This is a superstar plant for biodiversity. Centaurea cyanus is listed on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, producing high-quality, easily accessible nectar that attracts bees, butterflies, and hoverflies throughout the summer. The flat, open flower structure makes it particularly valuable for short-tongued bees and beneficial insects.
📖 Want more detailed growing advice?
Read our full UK growing guide for Cornflowers here: Cornflowers in Your Cottage Garden: Growing Guide for UK Climate
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£2.30 - Regular price
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£2.30
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