This fuss-free, low maintenance perennial Catananche is grown for its starry blooms from July to September in soft shades of cornflower-blue. Intriguing papery seedheads follow the blooms as they fade to provide a long season of interest. Historically the flowers were used in love potions, giving rise to the common name of Cupid's Dart. These days, the flowers are more often used to attract pollinators to the garden. They also make lovely cut flowers for adding to summer bouquets.

Cupids Dart associates beautifully with silvery-leaved plants that enjoy the same sunny, well drained conditions. It boasts a slender, airy outline with upright, grassy foliage, so it is best grown in groups to make a good impact. Plant it at the front of cottage garden borders or dotted through gravel gardens and wildflower meadows

Catananche is a hardy, short-lived perennial of around 2 years longevity, but in the right conditions it will seed about to produce new generations. These low-maintenance perennials are easy garden plants and virtually look after themselves when they're settled and established, but you'll need to give them some time and care to start with. This guide explains how to care for your Catananche:

How to plant:

— Catananche are supplied in autumn and spring for autumn or spring planting, they must be planted in the season as supplied, ideally within a week of delivery.

— Catananche plants supplied as root balls will require watering straight after delivery. If you aren't ready to plant them immediately, you can sit them in some water temporarily to rehydrate them after their journey.

— Catananche supplied as root balls can often be planted directly into a clear space in a well cultivated border, depending on the soil type, moisture levels and growing conditions in the border. Avoid planting them into a space which will become over-crowded by more established plants because new plants may fail in competetion with large neighbouring plants.

— To be on the safe side, you can pot them up into individual 15-20cm pots with multipurpose compost and grow them on for a few months and then transfer them into a garden border when they've grown a little larger. Potting them first will give them an easy start, these are hardy plants and can be grown-on in a sheltered spot outdoors in their pots.

— Plant Catananche root balls so that the root system is fully submerged in the compost, leaving any young shoots/leaves, buds or stems exposed above the soil surface. Water well after planting and continue watering regularly whenever the soil starts to dry out.

— If planting Catananche root ball plants directly into a clear space in a border, choose a sunny position with rich, free-draining soil and space the plants 20-30cm apart to form a group. Add multipurpose compost to each planting hole to help the new roots grow and water well afterwards. Mark with a plant label or cane so you can identify and monitor the new plant in the border and keep the area clear of weeds and competing plants.

— When transplanting to borders, choose a position in full sun, with well-drained soil. Once established, Catananche copes well in sun-baked or exposed positions and shows good drought resistance. They don't like to be in wet soil all the time, but do water immediately after planting and continue watering regularly in the first spring and summer when the soil starts to feel dry 3-5cm below the surface.

—There should be some buds/shoots visible on the plants when they are supplied in spring and they should start to grow by around late April. If planting in autumn, buds/shoots may not be visible and may remain in a dormant state through winter. The buds/shoots should start to grow and produce leaves in spring. Perennials may not flower in the first year, but they should always produce leaves.

Aftercare

— The faded flowers of Catananche can be deadheaded to encourage more blooms to appear. Later in the summer they can be left to set seed. The seedpods make an attractive feature, and the seed will disperse to produce new plants the following year.

— Cut back the stems in late autumn down to around 3-5cm above ground level.

— Catananche are hardy perennials, there is no need to protect them from frost over winter although newly-potted plants may need some cover during cold snaps.