Greater Knapweed Seeds (Centaurea scabiosa)

Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) is a robust native perennial that grows 40 to 90cm tall, with deeply lobed leaves and stiff, branching stems. From June to September each stem carries a large, thistle-like head of magenta florets, the outer ones spreading into a ragged star. It is a plant of dry grasslands and cliff sides, and is most at home on chalk and limestone.

Few meadow flowers are visited as heavily by butterflies; Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns, skippers and Common Blues all feed on it, alongside bumblebees and hoverflies. In autumn the seed heads are picked over by goldfinches. It is a long-lived, deep-rooted perennial that stands up well in a tall meadow and, once settled, will hold its ground for many years.

It grows on well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade and is best on thin, lime-rich or neutral ground of low fertility. It will manage on heavier soils provided they do not lie wet in winter. Avoid rich, damp ground where grass grows strongly. It suits a chalk bank, a sunny verge, a traditional hay meadow or a garden meadow, and gives late-summer height.

Sow in autumn or spring onto bare or scarified ground, surface-sown and firmed in. Seedlings are slow and most plants flower from their second year, so be patient in the first season. Cut in late summer or early autumn once the heads have set seed, removing the cuttings to keep fertility low. Combine with our 100% wildflower mixes or single species that share the same dry, sunny conditions.