Knautia Care: Tips For Growing Knautia Plants In The Garden

Beginning perennial gardeners should start by growing something like Knautia macedonia. It is a fairly carefree, easy-growing plant. Let's learn more about the care of Knautia plants in the garden.

Knautia Plant Info

Knautia is an easy, long-blooming perennial in the garden. These beautiful plants display large amounts of dark pink to almost red pin-cushion blooms that are a little smaller than those of the Scabiosa plant. The foliage of growing Knautia plants is light and cut beautifully. They are not to be planted singly and must have other Knautias around them so they look “like they belong.” I have never seen (nor do I ever want to see) one Knautia plant all by its lonesome. There are very few health problems plaguing the Knautia plant and once it really starts growing, it will provide you with plenty of cut-flowers, reaching upwards of 3 feet (1 m.) tall with a similar spread. The backs of perennial borders and beds are great places for growing Knautia plants.

How to Grow Knautia Flowers

Knautia is a fairly easy perennial to grow, making the care of Knautia plants minimal. A little water, sun, and well-drained soil are all it really needs. Be patient, however, when growing Knautia plants. From the time you take one home from the garden center in that 1 gallon (4 L.) sized pot until the time it looks like a strong plant can take a while, probably a one year growing cycle. Also, Knautias that are grown at a nursery in pots can get a little bit leggy-looking due to overfeeding. Happy, healthy Knautia plants will bloom for three months if deadheaded. Sometimes Knautias will get very tall and need staking, but they are worth having regardless of this. Knautia actually prefers soil that is a little infertile. In fact, the less fertile the soil, the less leggy-looking the plants will be-- just another reason that this is a good plant for the novice gardener. This is a pest and disease resistant perennial, but it does not grow as well or look as good when kept too wet. Overhead watering, especially in the heat, can cause a humidity problem, which is one of Knautia's worst enemies and leads to root rot and other problems. Thus, plants in the deep south are sometimes shorter-lived due to the intense heat and humid weather. Now that you know a little more about the ease of Knautia care, you can try your hand at growing Knautia plants in your garden.