Chicory Plant

Chicory Plants for Sale

Chicory is one of those rare perennial landscaping plants that gives you beauty, toughness, and everyday garden usefulness in one upright grower. We recommend it for sunny spaces where you want a natural, meadow-like look without constant work. This hardy perennial welcomes birds and pollinators, then adds a charming daily show as its blooms open early, glow through the morning, and begin to close by midday. If you are drawn to dependable landscaping plants with a wilder, more relaxed character, chicory is an easy plant to appreciate.

At the base, chicory forms lanceolate, unlobed leaves that can reach up to 1 ft in length, creating a sturdy green foundation beneath its airy flowering stems. The blossoms are daisy-like and vividly electric blue, standing out clearly against fresh green foliage and informal plantings. Blooming from early spring and continuing through autumn, this upright perennial can reach up to 5 ft tall, so it works beautifully at the back of borders, in naturalized drifts, and behind shorter perennials in layered beds. For gardeners searching for long-season color and flower seeds for full sun inspiration, chicory brings height, movement, and a bright splash of blue that reads clearly from a distance.

Chicory Plant Facts & Growing Tips

Family: Asteraceae

Hardiness Zones: 3–9

Light Requirement: Full sun

Water Needs: Moderate

Height: Up to 5 ft

Spread: 1 ft

Growth Rate: Moderate to fast

Bloom Time: Summer through autumn

Flower Color: Bright blue, sometimes white

Wildlife Value: Attractive to pollinators

Chicory offers far more than ornament alone. Many varieties are valued for edible use, with some grown for salad leaves such as radicchio. Others are raised for the “chicon,” the blanched bud known for its crisp texture and pleasantly bitter flavor in salads and savory dishes. Even the roots are useful, as they can be dried, roasted, and ground for a rich coffee substitute or food additive. That combination of beauty and utility makes chicory a smart addition to edible gardens, naturalized areas, and mixed borders with other landscaping plants. Its tall stems and bright blooms bring motion, color, and practical value through a long growing season.

Chicory Care and Garden Benefits

Chicory grows best in moist, well-drained soil and a bright site with full sun exposure. Once established, it is known for drought tolerance, though it tends to look its best where summers stay somewhat cool. For stronger stems and the heaviest flowering, we suggest giving it an open planting area with good air circulation and room to develop its naturally upright shape.

We like chicory because it is straightforward to grow and is not commonly bothered by routine pest or disease problems. One honest note: it can become weedy in some locations and may move into disturbed ground if seedlings are allowed to mature. The solution is simple—pull or thin young sprouts early if you want a neater planting. In return, you get a low-maintenance perennial with edible parts, vivid blue flowers, and strong pollinator value, making it a practical pick for gardeners interested in pollinator friendly flower seeds and reliable, long-lasting sunny border plants.

Choose Chicory for Your Garden

With entirely edible parts and electric blue flowers that pollinators actively visit, chicory brings more to the garden than simple color. Its slender, upright habit adds welcome height and an easy meadow feel to borders, pollinator beds, and naturalized plantings. We recommend it for gardeners who want a lively, useful plant that looks at home in the landscape and does not demand constant attention. Shop for Chicory online at TN Nursery. As growers with over 65 years of nursery experience, we help homeowners and landscapers choose dependable plants that truly earn their place in the garden.