About
Centaurea montana 'Purple Prose' is a perennial that forms clumps reaching approximately 45 cm in height during its flowering phase. It features a spreading growth habit alongside smooth, downy green foliage. This plant blooms from early to mid-summer, producing slender stems topped with buds surrounded by overlapping bracts. As the buds open, they reveal large flowers characterized by a circle of dark purple outer florets that encircle smaller 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 in full sun or light shade. 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