Information
Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens'
Also known as Honeywort.
Type - Hardy Annual
Border position - Front, Middle
Soil type - Fertile, Neutral
Site - Full Sun, Sheltered
Spacing - 30-45cm apart for a cutting garden.
Sowing
Soak seeds overnight before sowing.
Sow under cover between February and April (around 6 weeks before your last frost date) for a summer flowering or in August and September (around 6 weeks before your first frost date) for an early spring flowering the following year.
Alternatively sow directly into the soil in mid-April or September.
Can be grown in containers.
Flowers 12 weeks after sowing.
Flowering
Flowers from May to September with silvery leaves and small bell-shaped purple flowers.
Will grow 60cm high.
Great for foliage in your bouquets.
And even better these plants will self-seed so you can collect their seeds and dry them, ready to plant out the following year, or simply leave them in the ground.
The plants will die with the first frost so remove the parent from the ground at that point, lightly mulch and the new seeds will begin to grow in the spring.
Deadhead any faded flower stems.
When you harvest the blooms, sear the ends in boiling water for 30 seconds.
Problems
Easy to grow and low maintenance.
Slug-resistant - it is one of only 2 plants that survived my slug attack this year!
In Bouquets
Its dark foliage is a great contrast to lighter flowers, or it can be used to complement other purple flowers.
Take a look at my Cerinthe Bouquet board on Pinterest for inspiration: https://pin.it/6ivWfWl
More...
These flowers are perfect for bees and other pollinators, so great for your garden's eco-credentials too.
