Growing centaurea montana from seed

I used to find it difficult to get the seed of centaurea montana to germinate. But then I tried using fresh seed and found that to be much more successful.

If you have this plant in your garden and want more then now (early July) is the perfect time to collect some seed before it ‘goes over’.

Step 1: you are looking for seed pods where the flower petals and now brown but the pod is still closed and not released the seed yet

Step 2: snap off whole seed pods and leave them somewhere airy - but not in sun - to dry over night. Next day you are ready to sow

Step 3: squeeze the pods and you should find the seed pops out. They should be a purplish-grey colour. If they are pale cream then they might be duff or imature.

Step 4: sow seeds one at a time about 5cm apart in a seed tray of in cells. Cover with some compost but only just. Water and wait. They can still be irratic and may take 2-3 weeks to get started.

Good luck