A wrote a blog a while back asking the question whether anything could beat Cosmos in the cutting patch and I stand by that but not far behind are the fabulous Cornflowers. Resilient, productive, beautiful and easy to grow, what more could you want. They come in such a great range of colours too, from the beautiful clear blue of Cornflower ‘Blue Ball’ to the very dark purple almost black of Cornflower ‘Black Ball’, like Cosmos I grow these every year. We also sell a couple of mixes, one which is a mix of pinks in every shade Cornflower ‘Classic Romantic’ and one which is a mix of purples Cornflower ‘Classic Magic’. They are so versatile, they are easy to harvest, just cut down low and harvest flowers and buds (the buds are just as pretty as the flower), strip off the lower leaves and there you go. I’d call these a supporting flowers in your bouquets and posies if you saw the blog on what to grow in your cutting patch. They compliment the focal flowers.
I tend to do a sowing of these in the autumn, in September, they germinate quickly and I pot them on and then they sit tight over winter. I’ve got an unheated greenhouse but it still gets cold in there over winter and I’ve found them Cornflowers to be the most resilient of all hardy annuals that are sown in autumn. They seem to take anything. Last year I planted them out in mid March and they were flowering by the end of May. But I will also do another sowing in March, they are one of the first hardy annuals that I sow. The seeds deserve close inspection, they are like little shaving brushes or shuttlecocks, so sweet. 
They are such a size to be quite easy to handle and can be sown singly into modules or 9cm pots (maybe add a couple for security and if they both germinate remove the weakest) or you can sow into a seed tray. Cover with a thin layer of compost, water from below and they are usually pretty speedy at germination. Prick out from the seed tray into 9cm pots and allow them to grow on before planting, probably in April time. More information on sowing can be found in the Higgledy seed sowing guide.
They are also one of the easiest annuals for direct sowing, here you need to clear the soil of any weeds and dig/rake over so that the soil is nice and crumbly and loose. This just makes it easier for the seed to send its roots and shoots out into the soil, it will struggle against thick clods of soil. Then you can either broadcast sow, whereby you pull back the soil on an area sow thinly across the whole area and then lightly cover with soil. Or you can sow in rows, create a little rill to sow into, a row in the soil by running a trowel along pulling back the soil lightly as you go. Then sow into this rill. I tend to water the rill before sowing and then I don’t run the risk of wsshing out the seeds. So thinly along the row and then pull back the soil to lightly cover. Once germinated they may need to be thinned to about 20-30cm apart. I keep them quite close together so that they support each other but they will need some extra supports as the plants will reach 80-90cm tall, sometimes taller from an autumn sowing. I usually pull across the growing area some jute netting for them to grow through.
I think they are a good one to get kids growing as the kids are easy to handle and the flowers are so bright and cheerful. Maybe combined with the lovely Calendula ‘Indian Prince’, bright orange and blue is a brilliant combination. I usually grow them alongside Corncockle which is another great hardy annual for an early spring sowing.
I use Cornflowers all the time in my little posies, like I said I like to pick them low down the stems where you will be picking buds as well just look at the buds, like little globe artichokes, scales edged in black with hints of the colour to come as they start to open. 
I loved this posy with a range of blues and purples with Canterbury bells, Salvia ‘Oxford Blue’ and a few of the lilac Sweet peas.
The sumptuous Cornflower ‘Black Ball’ with Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’, Ranunculus, pink and white Canterbury bells, Sweet William ‘Nigricans’, Corncockle and Knautia macedonica. 
Or a more zingy mix with Calendula ‘Indian Prince’ and ‘Sherbet Fizz’, Chrysanthemum ‘Rainbow’, Cerinthe, Omphalodes linifolia ‘Little Snow White’ and Orlaya grandiflora.
More pastel shades of the pale pink and white Cornflowers from ‘Classic Romantic’, with pink Canterbury bells, Astilbe and Feverfew. 
The gorgeous mauve form with ‘Black ball’ with Canterbury bells, Silene vulgaris and Alchemilla mollis.
Also worth saying that bees and other pollinators love it. Here is a ladybird larvae on the stem.
So hoping that I have convinced you to give a little bit of love to the humble cornflower.
Wishing you a flower filled summer.
Higgledy Anne
(I’m on Instagram anne_hinks if you fancy a follow, I’ve also joined Bluesky Anne Hinks)