The cornflower is a small annual flowering plant most often intensely blue in color. It is either grown in gardens as an ornamental plant or used in companion planting alongside cereal crops.
1. Uses in Landscaping
The cornflower’s brilliant blue hue contrasts well with white, yellow, red, or other vividly colored flowers. Favorable choices could include daisies, roses, pansies, snapdragons, or zinnias. In addition to being part of an attractively-arranged garden or landscaping scheme, the cornflower is known for attracting butterflies, providing an even more enhanced atmosphere. In the late fall, its seeds start to attract song birds.
2. Companion Planting
As a companion plant, the cornflower is often planted with wheat, barley, oats and other staple grain crops. Small quantities allow the quickly-germinating plant to keep the soil arable, which is essential for cereal crops. If you plant too much, the roots will extend and deprive other plants of water and nutrients. Cornflowers are also used in certain tea blends, the most well-known of these being the Twinings’ Lady Grey blend.
The cornflower requires full sun and average to high amounts of water daily, and can be found worldwide in nutrient-rich, sandy soil.
