Centaurea (Knapweed)
at Digging Dog
Including Centaurea macrocephala and Centaurea ruthenica
Centaurea
Knapweed
Centaurea’s heritage extends all the way back to ancient Greek mythology when Achilles’s wise teacher, Chiron the Centaur was wounded by one of Hercules’ poisoned arrows and subsequently cured by this herb’s miraculous healing powers.
Equally at home in a present day border or a more naturalized setting, our hardy undemanding selections paint a bright picture inside as well. The long lasting boisterous blooms are celebrated cut flowers, bringing high-spirited accents to both fresh and dried arrangements.
Appreciative of well draining “sweet” soil, the ever amenable Knapweed withstands some drought, but not wet, wintertime feet. Centaurea hypoleuca ‘John Coutts’ 
Cradled by silvery, paper-thin bracts, a vivacious summertime showing of deep rose-pink thistlelike blooms with pale centers promises a fall encore when deadheaded regularly.
Long green leaves—deeply divided, lobed and powdery white beneath—line stiff-backed stems, bolstering the fragrant high energy performance.
A magnet for butterflies and gardeners alike, this carefree Centaurea exhibits a compact, not-so-tall profile that can be featured atop a wall or near the border’s front, obliges dry soils and keeps us coming back well after the flowers have faded to relish its long lasting, decorative seed heads.
Blooms July–August. Size: 2' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4. Centaurea hypoleuca John Coutts (P-1392)
Each $8.00
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Centaurea macrocephala
Great Golden Knapweed
An overgrown, sun-struck relative of the Bachelor Button, this “big-headed” native of the Caucasus Mountains has so many good qualities you’ll soon be inviting it into your garden. A medium green, rowdy mass of oversized, wavy-edged lanceolate leaves attached to stout stems gives way to intriguing, rust-colored buds as big as a chicken’s egg.
Scaled by papery bracts, the bud’s rotund profile opens to offer a large, bright yellow thistle, a cheerful mop of threadlike petals bursting with sunshine and color. Back this easy-to-grow cut flower with Cotinus ‘Grace’ and surround it with Nepeta ‘Pool Bank’.
Blooms late July–mid-September. Size: 3'–4' high x 2-1/2' wide; hardy to zone 4. Centaurea macrocephala (P-0834)
Each $6.00
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Centaurea montana ‘Gold Bullion’
Perennial Bachelor’s Button
Amid a leafy sea of electric yellow foliage, the black-etched buds and lacy, very blue Cornflower-like blossoms create high drama. ‘Gold Bullion’s large, lance-shaped leaves garb the upright stems, which easily spread and may eventually need to be contained.
With its relaxed stance and bold colors, this smaller scaled Centaurea can be massed right up front in a more informal border as a spirited counterpoint to Persicaria ‘Dimity’. (pp#10865)
Blooms June–July. Size: 12"–15" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Centaurea montana Gold Bullion (P-1373)
Each $8.00
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Centaurea montana ‘Purple Heart’
This Centaurea really does have a purple heart. A distinctive bicolored effect is attained as pure white rays—delicate, deeply fringed and widely spaced—encompass a central purple disc. Elevated by grayish green lance-shaped leaves, the airy flowers keep the show going all summer long and perk up neighboring Salvia ‘Caradonna’.
Blooms May–September. Size: 2-1/2' high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 3. Centaurea montana Purple Heart (P-1440)
Each $7.50
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Centaurea ruthenica
“A border flower of the highest merit,” is how British horticultural author, William Robinson once described this awe-inspiring Centaurea, and we couldn’t agree more!
Crowning long, straight green stems, the fluffy, thistle-style heads in unique pale citron yellows and tissue-thin, buff-colored bracts will attract more than just a few admirers. These ample-sized, sublime-for-cutting blooms heighten a graceful ferny pedestal of rich green pointed leaves with gray undersides, narrow silhouettes and a more refined countenance.
Blooms July–September. Size: 3'–4' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5. Centaurea ruthenica (P-1329)
Each $6.00
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