These reseeding annual wildflowers are similar to thistles, but they have impressively large pink-purple petals with a creamy center and a distinct sweet and honey-like fragrance. They’re ideal for a child or pet-friendly garden as they don’t have any prickles. The blooms can appear anytime from May to August, but most commonly arrive around May or June. Typically reaching four feet in height, and sometimes even taller, basket flowers are showy, easy-to-grow, and versatile. They look great when grown in groups at the back of borders and are an ideal addition for cottage gardens or meadow settings. Many enthusiasts grow them for their impressive appearance in cut flower displays—fresh or dried. It’s also a bonus that they’re rarely bothered by pests or disease. Perfect for nature-lovers, basket flowers are attractive to pollinators, including butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Their nectar is known for containing high quantities of amino acids and sugars, and the pollen is particularly protein-rich. The fluffy seedheads that develop after their blooming period produce large, nutritious, sunflower-like seeds that are enjoyed by visiting birds. Basket flowers readily self-seed, so, if the conditions are right, you could be treated to a new plants for years to come. This can mean, however, that they can take over small garden spaces, but at least they can be pulled out without too much difficulty.
Light
For best results, basket flowers should be grown in full sun. They can, however, also tolerate a part shade position.
Soil
Basket flowers are tolerant of a wide range of soil types, including sandy, loamy, and clay, the soil just needs to be well-draining. They aren’t too fussy about pH levels either, although slightly acidic to neutral levels seem to produce the best growth.
Water
If you live in a dry region, planting basket flowers is e a good choice. Once they’re established, they’re drought-tolerant and cope well in dry conditions. However, receiving adequate moisture during the winter and spring will result in more impressive growth.
Temperature and Humidity
With their drought-tolerance, it’s no surprise that basket flowers do well in Mediterranean-style climates. They can also handle temperate and subtropic weather.
Fertilizer
To see the most impressive blooms and prolific growth, the addition of compost or organic fertilizer during the spring is recommended.
Basket Flower Varieties
There are seeds available commercially of basket flower cultivars:
‘Aloha Blanca’ - This cultivar produces unusual white flowers.Basket flowers normally feature pink-purple petals, but this type has unusual large white flowers reaching five to six inches across.‘Aloha Rosa’ - Features blooms with a smoky pink or deeper lavender shade. The inner petals sometimes have eye-catching black tips.
Pruning
If you want to see the most impressive growth in terms of branches and blooms, it’s worth pinching off developing tips, and deadheading spent flowers.
How to Grow Basket Flowers From Seed
As annuals, basket flowers need to be grown from seed. Luckily, this is easy to do, and they don’t require a stratification period. Collection of the seeds should occur once they’re fully formed and can easily be removed from dried flower heads. They can either be sown indoors a couple of months before transferring them to their outdoor location, or sown directly outdoors after the chance of frost has passed. Basket flower seeds shouldn’t be sown too deeply, and the soil should be kept moist but not saturated. The seeds can take anywhere from one to three weeks to germinate.
