Annuals Dictionary: Catananche
Daisy family
Compositae
Kat-a-nann’ke. Of the 5 known species of this genus, only the Cupid’s Dart is grown in the garden for its showy blue heads.
Description
Leaves mostly basal and narrow. Flowers in long-stalked heads, the rays flat and toothed.
How to Grow
This hardy, deep-rooted perennial will bloom the first year in short-season areas if seeds are started indoors in the very early spring. Transplant to the garden as soon as soil can be worked. Where winters are mild, direct-seed from late summer through fall. Thin to 18 in. (45 cm) apart. Also, propagate by division. Prefers warm weather.
Catananche caerulea
Cupid’s Dart ; Blue Succory . To 2 ft. (60 cm) high. Flowerheads nearly 2 in. (5 cm) wide, the rays blue, white, or blue and white, and solitary on long stems. Violet and bicolored cultivars available. An excellent dried flower. S. Europe. Perennial treated as a hardy annual.