List 2 – Centaurea montana
Centaurea montana (mountain bluet)
Family: Asteraceae
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8
Size:
- 50cm-1m ft wide
- 10-50 cm tall
Form:
- Spreading; bushy
Soil & Water requirements:
- Dry to medium moisture
- Well-drained
- Tolerant of drought and poor soils
*rich, fertile soil should be avoided because plant can spread aggressively
Exposure:
- Full sun
Leaves:
- Leafy
- Lanceolate leaves with hairs
- Herbaceous perennial
Flowers:
- Composite flowers; sterile on outside; fertile on inside
- Rich blue/violet colour; 2” diameter
- Bracts at base of inflorescence; edged with little black hairs
- Showy
- Blooming from May to June
Maintenance:
- Remove flower heads after bloom if you want to prevent self-seeding; this may also prolong bloom period
Suitable uses:
- Cottage or informal gardens
- Front of a border planting
- Mass planting
Attracts:
- Butterflies
Other:
- Can become weedy; be careful about where this is planted
- Spreads by stolons; colony forming
- Deer resistant