About
Centaurea montana 'Gold Bullion' is a robust perennial that reaches approximately 50 cm in height when in bloom. It features a spreading growth pattern and has soft, yellow-green foliage. This plant blooms from late spring into summer, producing slender stems topped with buds surrounded by layered bracts. When the buds open, they reveal large flowers characterized by a circle of delicate blue outer florets encircling a cluster of small, deep reddish-purple central flowers.
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
- East-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming, Spreading branched
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 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
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in any moist but well-drained soil; will tolerate light shade but foliage colour is best when grown in full sun. May benefit from support to prevent flopping, see staking perennials
- Pruning
- Cut back after flowering to encourage fresh foliage, may produce a second flush in late summer
- Propagation
- Propagate by division, separating rhizomes in autumn
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to downy mildews, powdery mildews and rust diseases