Chicory Native Wildflower Seed

CICHORIUM INTYBUS

Chicory is cool, blue, and slightly unbothered. A tall, elegant wildflower with sky blue petals that look like they have been painted on by someone with excellent taste and no need for approval.

It has a long history as both food and medicine, and its roasted roots have famously been used as a coffee substitute. Very useful if civilisation collapses, or if you simply like your garden plants with a bit of backstory.

Chicory is tough, beautiful, edible, and surprisingly architectural. It brings height, colour, and a slightly Mediterranean confidence to British gardens. Less polite border filler, more blue eyed wild thing.

Chicory likes sun, open ground, and free draining soil. It is a tough perennial, but it needs space and light to do well.

Rip - Clear weeds, grass, and debris. Rake the soil so you have a loose, open surface.

Scatter - Scatter the seed thinly over the soil. Do not sow too thickly, as Chicory can grow tall.

Sow - Press the seed gently into the soil surface, or cover very lightly with soil.

When to sow - For best results sow from August to November. You can also sow from March to May.

Where to sow - Choose a sunny spot with free draining soil and low competition. Chicory is great for meadow edges, sunny borders, dry banks, and relaxed wild planting.

After sowing, keep the soil lightly moist while the seeds get going.

Once you can see green shoots, keep big weeds and thick grass from crowding them out. Chicory does not need feeding, and it does not want rich, over pampered soil.

It can spend its first year building up roots and leaves before giving a stronger flower show later. Give it space, sun, and a bit of patience.

Chicory usually flowers from July to September, bringing clear blue flowers on tall, branching stems.

It typically grows around 60 to 120 cm tall, so it is brilliant for adding height and movement to a sunny wildflower area.

As a perennial, Chicory can return year after year once happy. The flowers are loved by pollinators, and the whole plant brings a cool, wild elegance that makes a garden feel instantly more alive.

Yes, Chicory can grow in pots, but it gets tall and has a deep root, so give it a decent container.

Use a large, deep pot with drainage holes. Fill it with peat free, low nutrient compost mixed with sharp sand or grit to keep it free draining. Avoid very rich compost. Wildflowers are not here for the luxury spa treatment.

Scatter the seed thinly, press it in gently, and place the pot in full sun. Keep lightly moist while the seed gets going. Once growing, water when the compost starts to dry out.

We want your seeds to grow. If you follow our sowing instructions, give them a fair chance, and they still do not grow, we’ll put it right.

Eligible customers can choose either a refund for the seeds that did not grow, or replacement seeds of the same value.

For more information on our policy go to our No Grow No Fee page.