About
Centaurea macrocephala is a robust perennial that forms dense clumps, featuring either simple or lobed foliage. In summer, it produces yellow flower heads measuring around 5 cm in diameter, emerging from brown buds.
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, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing, North-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Wildflower meadow, Wildlife gardens
- Native to
- Caucasus
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Best grown in moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade
- Pruning
- Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in spring or propagate by division in spring or autumn
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to powdery mildews