Corncockle is a beautiful little plant, that is sure to brighten up your borders and enhance the beauty of you garden. But how to grow corncockle, that is the question! If you have been wondering how you can get this Mediterranean beauty to flourish in your garden, then you have come to the right place.
What You'll Learn Today
How To Grow Corncockle
It may surprise you to know that this plant is actually relatively easy to grow, and won’t take up too much of your time maintaining it either.
Because it is originally a wildflower, corncockle is pretty hardy and able to survive in a variety of conditions.
It will grow to be quite tall, so bear this in mind when planning where to plant your corncockle so that it doesn’t swamp other plants!
- Prepare the bed first of all – remove weeds and large stones, and rake the soil to make it fine.
- This plant should be sown in August and September for flowers to appear in Spring, as the seeds need to be cold in order to germinate.
- Sprinkle the seeds into the prepared bed and cover them lightly with a thin layer of soil.
- Keep the area free from weeds, and keep an eye out for seedlings in the spring. You can also thin them at this point, to make sure that each plant has enough space.
- You can also sow your corncockle inside in pots – this is a good idea as it means you can sow in both the Autumn and Spring!
- Remember to keep the soil moist – this shouldn’t be a problem for the outside beds, but you will have to keep an eye on your indoor seeds.
- Once the seedlings are established you won’t have to worry about them too much – just keep an eye out for slugs and snails!
Here’s a little article to help you out if you need some more growing tips.
Where To Plant Corncockle?
Working out where is the best spot for each plant is the key to having a garden that is a riot of color and filled with healthy, happy plants.
Because corncockle is naturally a wildflower, you would be forgiven for thinking you can just grow it anywhere – but like any plant it has its preferences.
Choose a sunny spot for your corncockle plants; they like to be kept warm and get as much light as possible.
If you can, choose an area with well draining soil – these plants like to be moist, but they won’t tolerate sitting in a bog.
Unlike many plants, these little beauties actually like poor soil. They don’t need too much in the way of nutrients, so a scrubby patch in your garden will suit them just fine.
Most plants aren’t happy in a Northern facing position, and corncockle is no exception – choose a west or south facing spot for them.
As long as it has poor, well draining soil and plenty of sunlight, your corncockle should reward you by being strong and healthy and beautiful.
When To Sow Corncockle Seeds?
Like most plants, it is best to sow corncockle at the beginning of the growing season – also known as the spring!
As the weather and the soil warm up, and the days become longer and lighter, seeds’ circadian rhythms encourage them to start to sprout.
Sow your corncockle seeds outdoors between March and April – you can do staggered sowings, so that you get more plants blooming at different times.
You can start your seeds off earlier if you are planting them in pots ready to grow on outdoors, but if you are sowing outdoors then spring is the time to do it.
You don’t want to get going too early, otherwise late frosts might kill off your baby plants.
However, leaving sowing too late can mean that the plant doesn’t have enough time to get itself really established.
Planting outdoors in spring is great for corncockle, as they need their soil to be kept moist – something that is rarely a problem in the springtime!
If you plant in pots first, ensure that the soil is kept damp, and that your plants are well established before you put them in the ground.
You can do a further sowing of your corncockle seeds in August; these seeds will overwinter and pop up in the spring, saving you a job!
Is Corncockle Annual Or Perennial?
An annual is a plant that comes up one year, flowers and spreads its seeds, then dies off.
A perennial is one that grows, flowers and spreads seeds one year, dies off in the winter, then pops back up in the spring.
Corncockles are known to be annuals, so they will have just one season of growth per plant before dying back.
However, these plants are good at self seeding, so chances are if you leave them to it you will get another patch of corncockle the following year!
Corncockles look stunning when planted near their perennial friends, the cornflowers – these are both wildflowers and will grace your garden with their elegance.
How Tall Do Corncockles Grow?
This is a fairly delicate looking plant, with slender stems and small flowers – but it can grow to surprising heights!
Once fully grown, if it is in its favorite conditions, corncockle can reach up to a meter in height.
In its natural environment, this would have allowed the plant to compete with tall grain plants for sunlight.
In your garden they can also reach these same impressive heights, as long as they are planted in favorable conditions.
It is best to plant corncockles with other tall plants, so they don’t shade smaller ones – or plant them with smaller plants that don’t mind indirect sunlight.
This video will show you how tall corncockle will actually get, along with some useful growing tips:
Having some unusual and beautiful flowers dotted around will make your garden look even more spectacular.
Now that you have some good ideas on how to grow corncockle, you can enjoy this lovely little flower in the perfect position in your garden.
Corncockle Key Facts
| Name | Corncockle |
| Scientific Name | Agrostemma Githago |
| Family | Caryophyllaceae |
| Light Requirements | Full sun |
| Soil Requirements | Free draining sandy loams |
| Temperature Requirements | Between 18 and 27 degrees C (64 and 80 degrees F) |
| Water Requirements | Lots of watering required in hot, dry spells (around 2 gallons per week), less during damper weather |
| Fertilizer Requirements | Prefers poor soil, no need to fertilize |
| Bloom Time | June to August |
| Pests | No real problems as the plant is poisonous |
| Size | Up to 1 meter |
For more information about the plant, check out this guide on whether corncockle is poisonous or not.
How do you harvest corn corncockle seeds?
Corncockle are pretty easy to harvest seeds from – wait until the pods are dried and starting to crack open. Start off by shaking them over a container or a piece of paper, and if the seed gets stuck then simply pick apart the seed pod to get the seed out.