About
This evergreen perennial features a sprawling habit and possesses silvery, blue-green leaves that are covered in fine wool on both surfaces. In summer, it produces purple blooms.
About the genus
Centaurea includes annuals, perennials, and subshrubs, characterized by simple or pinnately lobed foliage and prominent flower heads resembling thistles, frequently featuring enlarged outer florets.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bedding, Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden, Mediterranean climate plants, Coastal, City and courtyard gardens, Wildlife gardens
- Native to
- Italy
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Needs very well-drained soil in full sun. May survive outdoors in mild areas, otherwise overwinter in a cool greenhouse
- Pruning
- Tidy up after flowering
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, or divide in spring or autumn
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free