Plant record
Bachelor Button
Centaurea cyanus
Bachelor buttons are old-fashioned in the most useful way. Blue flowers in cool air make the whole bed feel awake.
Garden timing
Direct sow in cool soil before the garden gets too warm.
Succession rhythm: about every 21 days.
Plant intelligence
Use one square in cool weather and cut often before plants lean.
cut flowerpollinatorbeneficial insect
Lifecycle: annual
Habit: cool-season branching annual flower
Height: 18-36 inches
Spread: 8-14 inches
Germination: 7-14 days
Sow depth: 0.25 inches
Bloom: spring, early summer
Attracts: bees, beneficial insects
Record score
86/100strong garden record
Taxonomy confidence94Centaurea cyanus in Asteraceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness861 per square with none support.
Timing and care depth791 planting window, 40F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down882 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90high pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.
Species identity
This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
ScientificCentaurea cyanusFamilyAsteraceaeLookup namesBachelor Button, Centaurea cyanus, cornflower, blue bottle
Garden decision matrix
Square-foot fit1 per square
Season behaviorhardy
Care loadlow water
Bed ecosystem rolecut flower, pollinator
Variety depth2 options
Species and variety notes
Blue forms are classic; mixes add color but can feel less purposeful in a small bed.
Blue Boycultivar
78small-bed fit
The simple classic, and still probably the one to grow first.
Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: best value comes from early cool timing.
classic blue, cut flower, cool-season65-85 days24-36 inches tallClassic Magicmix
78small-bed fit
A quieter palette when blue is not the mood.
Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: best value comes from early cool timing.
mix, cut flower, soft colors65-85 days24-36 inches tallCompanions
lettuce, peas, calendula, dill
Cautions
Prefers cool weather.
May flop in rich soil or shade.
External enrichment
Cached name: Centaurea cyanus. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.
Open enrichment JSONData layers
FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.
API source score
Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.
USDA PLANTS Database
Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.
Source referenceGBIF Species API
Accepted scientific names, taxonomy matching, and occurrence context.
Source reference