Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) in Zone 4a & 4b

Centaurea cyanus

When to plant bachelor's button (cornflower) in zone 4b

Zones 4a and 4b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Either: Start indoors for an earlier harvest, or direct-sow outside for less fuss. Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) tolerates either.

Spacing: 3 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1-3 ft.

Bachelor's button (also sold as cornflower) is about as low-effort as annual flowers get. It tolerates cold better than most, fills in fast, and doesn't ask for much once it's in the ground. Wiry 1- to 3-foot stems carry small, fringed, frilly round blooms, most often blue, though pink, white, and maroon show up in mixes too.

How bachelor's button (cornflower) fits zone 4's season

Zone 4b's frost-free window runs about 128 days, from May 15 to September 20. Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) needs about 75 days from sowing to first harvest.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Bachelor's Button (Cornflower).

Where to buy bachelor's button seeds

• Botanical Interests
• True Leaf Market
• Burpee
• High Mowing Organic Seeds

See why we recommend these suppliers →

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See it growing

Search YouTube for "growing bachelor's button (cornflower)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)

← Back to the full zone 4b calendar · Full companion planting guide · Full plant profile · Plan your beds in the Garden Designer →

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Growing Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) in USDA zone 4b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a bloom.

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