April Plant of the Month:
Velvet Centaurea
Centaurea gymnocarpa
Written by Lisa Endicott, Horticulture Manager
April 3, 2023
The Plant of the Month for April is Velvet Centaurea, Centaurea gymnocarpa, one of my all-time favorite plants. It is extremely drought-tolerant, low maintenance, has beautiful foliage, light amethyst blooms, and is tolerant of various soils.
Here are some of my favorite qualities of Velvet Centaurea:
It is evergreen.
It is gorgeous, finely dissected, soft, silver foliage.
The foliage is a perfect counterpoint for green-leaved plants.
It reflects moonlight, which is great for “moon” gardens that will be viewed in the evening.
It can be pruned as a sprawling groundcover or large shrub.
It can be pruned back hard if needed; it’s easy to hide pruning cuts under the terminal whorls of the .leaves
It thrives in full sun or afternoon shade.
This quality is worth repeating! Velvet Centaurea is extremely drought tolerant, as well as low maintenance. (More water encourages rampant growth and more needed maintenance (pruning) to keep in bounds).
Pruned as a mounding shrub, Velvet Centaurea is a great contrast for green leaved California native Fan Palms Washingtonia filifera in the background
Interesting facts:
Centaurea gymnocarpa (genus name Centaurea, named after the mythological centaur Chiron, species name gymnocarpa, meaning naked seed).
The Velvet Centaurea is an endemic Italian plant growing on Italy’s rocky coastal outcroppings.
Natural hybridization is constantly occurring between species in the wild, and Centaurea cineraria is thought to be largely involved in the parentage of the Velvet Centaurea plants available in the Nursery trade. (However, since Centaurea cineraria are often misidentified as several other species, we stay with the widely accepted Centaurea gymnocarpa, which most closely represents our specific plants).
Velvet Centaurea pruned as a sprawling large-scale groundcover under a shrub form Echium, Pride of Madeira Echium fastuosum
Available now at the Turtle Bay Nursery!
Drought-tolerant Velvet Centaurea are always in propagation rotation in our Nursery. See the updated inventory list, along with growing information, at turtlebaynursery.org.
Caring for Velvet Centaurea Centaurea gymnocarpa in our area:
Prefers growing in areas with full sun to part shade
Grows in a wide variety of soil types
Water weekly in summer until established (1-2 years), then occasionally, as needed