Chicory Plant

Chicory plants for sale here are Cichorium intybus, the sky-blue wildflower with stiff, branching stems that blooms from late spring into fall. We ship them bare-root in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500, for pollinator beds, meadows, herb and kitchen gardens and wholesale buyers.

Chicory Plant Size, Zones and Sun

Chicory stands about 3 feet tall, a bit more in good soil, on stiff, angular stems. Zones 3 to 9. It wants full sun for the most flowers, though it tolerates a little shade. Average or poor soil is fine, and a deep taproot carries it through dry spells, so this plant suits ground that doesn't get pampered.

Chicory Flowers

Flowers are light blue, now and then white or pink, with fringed petal tips, about an inch or so across. Here's a quirk: on a sunny day they open in the morning and close up by noon, so a bed looks best early. New blooms keep coming from May through October.

Chicory and Pollinators

Bees and other insects come for the nectar and pollen, and caterpillars of several moths and butterflies feed on the leaves. To build a bed around it, browse our list of perennials that attract pollinators.

Where to Plant Chicory

Meadows, pollinator strips, sunny border edges and the herb garden all work. It looks right with yarrow, coneflower and native grasses. Plant 12 to 18 inches apart. Our own write-up on growing chicory has more on its history and uses.

Planting Chicory Bare-root

Soak the roots for an hour, then set each plant with the crown at soil level and the taproot pointing straight down. Firm the soil and water well. Keep the bed damp until new leaves show.

Buying Chicory Plants in Bulk

At 18 inches apart each plant needs roughly 2 square feet, so a pack of 25 fills about 56 square feet, 100 plants cover around 225 and 500 plants cover about 1,125. Packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500 match a border, a meadow strip or a larger planting.

Good to Know About Chicory

Chicory sends down a long taproot, so pick the spot carefully, because an established plant is hard to move. It also self-seeds where it's happy, which suits a meadow and calls for clipping spent stems in a tidy border. The leaves taste bitter, which is the point in a salad.

Chicory in the Kitchen

Young leaves go into salads, and the roots can be dried, roasted and ground as a coffee substitute. It's a plant that earns its keep in both the flower bed and the pantry.

Chicory Plant Sizes, Packs and Shipping

Chicory plants ship bare-root in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500. Volume pricing available. Browse more wholesale perennials for sale.