Cupid’s-Dart
Catananche caerulea. ASTERACEAE (COMPOSITAE).
Planting and Growing Cupid’s-Dart
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow Cupid’s-dart in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of Cupid’s-dart
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for Cupid’s-dart
- Season of bloom and planting time for Cupid’s-dart
- When, how deep, and where to plant Cupid’s-dart
- How to plant Cupid’s-dart
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of Cupid’s-dart
- Landscape and container uses of Cupid’s-dart
- Comments about Cupid’s-dart and its features
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Growing Cupid’s-Dart
Several cultivars of short-lived, erect, mounding perennial herbs, to 18 in. (45 cm) tall and 1 ft. (30 cm) wide. Alternate, woolly, gray green, narrow, grasslike, somewhat toothed leaves, to 1 ft. (30 cm) long.
Common cultivars include Catananche caerulea ‘Alba’, ‘Bicolor’, and ‘Major’.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Many blue violet, white, daisylike flowers, to 2 in. (50 mm) wide, with jagged-toothed petals and dark centers, in summer–autumn.
Best Climates
Plant as tender annual, zones 2–11; ground hardy, zones 3–8.
Soil Type and Fertility
Damp to dry, well-drained soil; avoid winter moisture. Fertility: Average. 6.5–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full sun, 1 ft. (30 cm) apart, after frost hazard has passed.
Proper Care
Moderate. Keep damp during growth; allow soil surface to dry between waterings. Fertilize every 2 months. Propagate by division, seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for borders, containers, edgings in cottage, formal, meadow gardens. Good for cutting, drying. Pest resistant. Fungal disease susceptible.