The sky blue flowers of Cupid’s dart add intense colour to Mediterranean Beds.
Catananche caerulea is a clump-forming perennial species with slender leaves originating from the Mediterranean, where it grows in sunny, well-drained situations. From midsummer it produces solitary sky blue flowers with a dark blue eye and fringed petals, which sit amidst attractive papery bracts. The common name Cupid’s dart refers to traditional use of this plant as a love potion. A member of the daisy family (Asteraceae), the genus contains five species, most of which enjoy a dry, sunny position in the garden, except C. caespitosa from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, which requires alpine house cultivation.