How to Grow Bachelor Buttons: 5 Tips for More Blooms

Bachelor buttons are one of those flowers I scatter throughout my garden every fall. They’re easy to grow from seed, reseed readily, and the blue flowers are some of my favorites for spring bouquets.

In my low-desert garden, they bloom after many of the earliest cool-season flowers and keep going until late spring heat brings their season to an end. They don’t need much once they’re established. Plant them at the right time, give them enough sun, and keep harvesting or deadheading the flowers to encourage more blooms.

Here are five things that make the biggest difference.

1. Choose the Best Location for Bachelor Buttons

Bachelor buttons, also called cornflowers, grow best with plenty of sun and well-drained soil.

They tolerate a range of soil conditions and don’t need rich soil or regular fertilizer. North Carolina Extension notes that cornflowers tolerate average to relatively poor soils as long as drainage is good.

In cooler climates, full sun is ideal.

In Arizona’s low desert and other hot climates, morning sun with some afternoon shade can help extend the bloom season as temperatures rise.

Depending on the variety, plants usually grow about 1 to 3 feet (30 to 90 cm) tall and can spread 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm).

Do Bachelor Buttons Need Support?

Not always. Shorter or more compact plants usually stand on their own, but taller varieties can flop, especially in wind or when they’re heavy with flowers. If you’re growing them for cut flowers, trellis netting or simple support can help keep stems straighter.

Growing Bachelor Buttons in Containers

Bachelor buttons also grow well in containers. Choose a container with good drainage and enough depth for the roots. A container around 12 inches (30 cm) deep works well for most varieties.

A Note About Reseeding

Bachelor buttons reseed easily and can naturalize. They’re considered invasive in some areas. Check with your local Extension office or invasive plant list before planting if you’re unsure.

2. Plant Bachelor Buttons at the Right Time

Bachelor buttons are easy to grow from seed, and direct sowing is usually the simplest way to get started. I use these bachelor buttons seeds from Botanical Interests.

Left: Black magic variety
Middle: Tall blend variety
Right: Blue boy variety

Plant seeds about ¼ inch (6 mm) deep and keep the soil moist until they germinate, typically within 7 to 14 days. Check out what other flowers are on my lists of cool-season flowers to plant from seed and cool-season flowers that love mild winters.

When to plant bachelor buttons in Arizona:

In the low desert, I plant bachelor button seeds from September 15 through November That gives the plants time to establish through fall and winter before flowering in spring.

In my garden, they usually begin blooming around February and can continue into May or June, depending on the weather.

The Perpetual Annual Flower Planting Calendar, available in my shop, helps you learn when to plant flowers in the low desert of Arizona and whether to plant seeds or transplants.

Cooler Climates

Direct sow in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked.

You can also start seeds indoors a few weeks before planting out, but bachelor buttons are simple enough to direct sow in most situations.

Spacing

Thin seedlings to about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) apart, depending on how densely you want them growing.

Johnny’s recommends 6 to 9 inches for cut-flower production, while Extension guidance commonly gives a broader range. I often move extra seedlings to another part of the garden rather than throwing them away.

3. Keep Bachelor Buttons Blooming

Bachelor buttons don’t need much maintenance, but a few things help produce more flowers.

Pinch or Cut Back Young Plants

When plants are several inches tall and have developed a few side shoots, you can pinch the main growing tip to encourage branching. This isn’t necessary, but it can help create fuller plants with more flowering stems. Learn more about how to pinch flowers for more blooms.

Deadhead or Harvest Often

Keep flowers harvested or deadheaded throughout the season. Removing spent blooms keeps the plant from putting all its energy into seed production and encourages continued flowering.

Water consistently.

Bachelor buttons tolerate some drought once established, but they grow and bloom better with consistent moisture. Water deeply and allow the soil surface to begin drying before watering again.

Watch for aphids.

Aphids sometimes show up on bachelor buttons in spring.

Before reaching for a spray, take a closer look. Ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, and other beneficial insects may already be helping manage the aphids. If the population gets too large, a strong spray of water can help knock them off the plants.

I try to give beneficial insects a chance to help before intervening. Not every aphid needs to be eliminated. For more information on getting rid of aphids (and when you can ignore them) read this guide.

4. Harvest Bachelor Buttons for Bouquets and Edible Flowers

Bachelor buttons are useful both in bouquets and as edible flowers.

For Cut Flowers

• Harvest stems in the morning when they’re well hydrated.
• For the longest vase life, cut when flowers are beginning to open rather than waiting until they’re fully mature.
• Johnny’s recommends harvesting when flowers are about one-quarter to one-half open.
• Remove leaves that will sit below the water line and place stems in clean water right away.
• They make excellent filler flowers in bouquets and can last well in a vase.

For Edible Flowers

Bachelor button petals are edible.

Use the petals as a garnish on salads, desserts, drinks, or other dishes. The petals have a mild flavor, while the green base of the flower can taste bitter. Only use flowers that you know have not been treated with pesticides or other products not labeled for edible crops.

Learn more about growing and using edible flowers in this blog post.

5. Save Bachelor Button Seeds for Next Season

One of the easiest ways to keep bachelor buttons growing in your garden is to save seeds at the end of the season.

Toward the end of the season, leave some of your healthiest flowers on the plant instead of deadheading them.

To save bachelor button seeds:

1. Cut the dried flower heads from the plant.
2. Place them in a paper bag if they need additional time to dry.
3. Gently break apart the dried heads to release the seeds.
4. Store the seeds in a cool, dark, dry place until planting time.

You can also leave some of the dried flower heads in the garden and allow the seeds to fall naturally. For more information on saving seeds to plant next season read this guide.

You can also simply leave a few seed heads in the garden and allow the plants to reseed naturally.

Keep in mind that if you grow several colors or varieties together, seedlings may not look exactly like the parent plants.

Bachelor Buttons FAQs