Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Herbaceous Perennial

Centaurea dealbata 'Steenbergii'

mealy centaury 'Steenbergii'

A clump-forming perennial to 1m tall with narrowly oval, lobed pale green leaves with whitish-grey hairs underneath. In summer, flowerheads on upright flower stems comprise a ring of dark carmine-pink, deeply-fringed outer petals surrounding a centre of white-tinged inner petals

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
7 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

West–facing or South–facing or East–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Drought resistance

Yes

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Asteraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Centaurea may be annuals, perennials or subshrubs, with simple or pinnately lobed leaves and showy thistle-like flowers-heads, often with enlarged outer florets
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Any well-drained soil in full sun; good drought resistance. A fairly dry, poor soil is best as plants can be invasive if soil is rich and moist.

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in spring or propagate by division in spring or autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Gravel garden
Prairie planting
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Deadhead regularly to prolong flowering

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be affected by powdery mildews

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.