The safflower in the home garden impresses with its filigree, orange flowers. We explain how to grow and care for this plant.
Like the sunflower, the safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is valued by many gardeners for its bright petals. By the way: both plants also have something in common. Valuable edible oil is obtained from their seeds. They are therefore very popular for the food industry and are cultivated on a large scale in agriculture.
Whether in the cottage garden, natural garden or in the ornamental garden, the safflower always comes into its own.
Portrait of the safflower
The Carthamus tinctorius was used as a dye plant in ancient Egypt more than 5,000 years ago. Mummy canvases and other fabrics were dyed red with it. The natural range extends from the Middle East to Central Europe.
The safflower is a thistle-like, fast-growing, herbaceous plant. The annual to biennial plant grows upright. Their stems can reach a height of 70 to 130 centimeters. Long, thorny leaves grow along the stem.
From June to July the thistle blooms in a strong orange. The seeds then ripened in September/October.
Tip: The inflorescences are suitable as cut flowers for the vase or for decorative arrangements. You can also use thornless varieties if you want to plant safflowers as ornamental plants or cut flowers.A sunny, warm location is preferred
If you want to grow this attractive thistle in your garden, you should definitely choose a sunny and warm spot.
The soil should be permeable
For your Carthamus tinctorius to thrive and develop a gorgeous bloom, sow the plant in loamy-sandy soil. The soil should also be neutral and well drained so that no waterlogging can form. Dry poor soils are not suitable for cultivation.
How to sow the safflower
- The seedbed for the safflower should be loosened before sowing. This is how the development ofYoung plants favored.
- Place the seeds 5 centimeters apart within the row. The sowing depth should be 2 to 3 centimeters. It is advisable to choose a row spacing of 20 centimeters for a group of plants.
- Now be patient: the germination time is at least two to three weeks.
Keep soil moderately moist, compost will meet nutrient needs
- Once the seed has sprouted, make sure to keep the soil regularly moist. The growing plant gets by with moderate watering as it develops a strong taproot and can absorb moisture from the deeper soil layers. During the flowering period, you should make sure that you do not wet the filigree flowers with water. They are very sensitive to moisture.
- If you have incorporated compost into the soil when preparing the soil, then no further fertilization is necessary. However, you can give your safflower additional minerals in the form of Thomaskali or Patentkali. This causes your plants to develop a resilient and robust plant structure.
Pruning for flowering and seed harvest
The Carthamus tinctorius is not cut back as usual, such as with perennials. Only for harvesting you can work on the plant with the garden shears. The flowers are separated and harvested as German saffron or false saffron. Dried and ground in a mortar, you can color food and drinks with the flowers. Another cut is planned for the seed harvest in September/October. In this way you get new seeds for the next year and you prevent the plant from seeding.
Since these thistle seeds can tolerate temperatures down to -10°C, safflowers could grow in undesirable spots in the garden the following year.
Conclusion: The safflower is an undemanding yet attractive plant. Its filigree, orange-colored flowers are a pleasant addition to the garden. It prefers a sunny location and loamy-sandy, well-drained soil. The plant is only watered moderately. The plant is not very demanding in terms of nutrients.