Description
Centaurea montana ‘Gold Bullion’
Rich blue flowers on 30cm stems over Centaurea montana ‘Gold Bullion’s beautiful golden foliage. A contrasting pair that is sure to bring colour to a Deep Shade or Partial Shade part of the garden. Easy to love, even easier to grow.
Attractive foliage all year
Golden, lance-shaped leaves are attractive and tidy year round too.
Hardy, easy & low maintenance
Centaurea montana ‘Gold Bullion’ is an unfussy, easy to grow, and frost hardy plant.
Happily it requires little to no maintenance once established.
Growing: Centaurea montana ‘Gold Bullion’
– Height with flowers: 90cm approx.
– Width: 70cm approx.
– Height with flowers: Flowers on approx. 30cm. stems. sitting jauntily above the low, neat foliage mound.
– Width: Dense clump of silvery foliage to a diameter of 35cm approx.
– Position: Full Sun. Will grow in some Partial Shade but will not bloom as profusely.
– Soil: Preferably well drained soil on the dry side. Will grow perfectly in dry, poor, rocky or sandy soils. So avoid rich soils or too much fertilizing.
It is tolerant of a wide range of soil pH on either the acid or alkaline (lime) side of neutral. But handily for limestone gardeners, it will tolerate quite a high lime content in the soil.
Other garden benefits
– Water-wise: A water-wise, low water need plant, which can tolerate periods of heat and dry well. Average, normal garden watering is more than enough. So make sure it is in a spot where it never becomes waterlogged, or you can kiss it goodbye.
– Frost: Very frost hardy, and so can easily tolerate heavy frosts to well below -20C.
– Growth: An evergreen perennial clump of feathery silvered foliage, growing in a tight, neat, low clump.
– Beneficial for wildlife: Bees, butterflies and other beneficial pollinators adore Centaurea for their rich supply of both pollen and nectar. Considered an excellent “bee-plant”.
– Fragrance: Sadly none, but I can forgive it because of the other useful qualities.
Easy low care
– Care: Generally low maintenance and easy to grow. Remove spent flower stems after bloom if you wish, but not essential.
– Deer & Rabbit resistant: Both deer and rabbits treat it with ignore as they dislike the texture unless desperate. Washington State University actually lists it as an excellent deer resistant plant.
And a shocking history
– Origin: Native to rocky slopes in Turkey and Iran.
– Healing History: The whole family of Centaurea was named after the Centaur Chiron – half man half horse – who according to Greek mythology, used a Centaurea plant to heal his wounds.
Chiron our Centaur, was the unfortunate result of a rape, when a very wicked, shapeshifting god took on the form of a horse, and “lay” with a sea nymph. Poor Chiron was rejected by his mother at birth, but rose above his unfortunate beginnings to become a great healer.
And that’s how Centaureas got their name.
They were traditionally used as a healing herb for wounds.
