Sisyrinchium angustifolium

Sisyrinchium angustifolium: Tiny Blue Stars With Yellow Eyes

Blue-eyed grass has a name like a country song and a face that could break hearts. Little violet-blue stars with sunny yellow eyes pop out of grassy tufts like a pickup line that actually works. NATIVE, CHARMING AND TOTALLY YOUR TYPE.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Sisyrinchium angustifolium
• Common Name: Blue-Eyed Grass, Narrow-leaved Blue-eyed Grass
• Height: 15–45 cm (6–18 in)
• Spread: 15–30 cm (6–12 in)
• Flowers: Violet-blue, star-shaped, about 2 cm (¾ in) across, with a yellow eye
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to July)
• Foliage: Narrow, flat, grass-like leaves in upright, semi-evergreen tufts
• Features: Attracts small bees

Where to Plant: Plant it at the front of a border, along a path, in a rock garden, or in drifts through a meadow or rain garden. It's at its best in groups, where the small flowers add up to a haze of blue.

Companion Plants: Plant blue-eyed grass at the front of a sunny or lightly shaded native bed with lean soil. Penstemon hirsutus adds lavender trumpets at 30 to 60 cm in May and June. Agastache foeniculum brings lavender-blue anise hyssop at 60 to 120 cm from July to September. Asclepias syriaca adds fragrant pink milkweed clusters at 90 to 150 cm from July to September. Schizachyrium scoparium stands behind at 60 to 120 cm, blue-green in summer and copper-red in fall.

Plant Care: Plant in average, well-drained soil that stays evenly moist. It handles clay and loam, and it tolerates short dry spells, but it fades if it stays dry for long. Avoid heavy mulch over the crown, which can cause rot, and skip rich fertilizer, which only makes it floppy. Trim off the flowering stems after bloom if you want to limit self-seeding, or leave them to let it fill in gently. The clumps are short-lived on their own, so dividing every couple of years in spring keeps them vigorous.

History: Narrow-leaved blue-eyed grass grows wild across much of eastern North America, including Quebec and the southern Great Lakes region, in moist meadows, open woods and grassy clearings. It belongs to the iris family (Iridaceae), and angustifolium simply means narrow-leaved.

Final Thoughts: Tuck it along a path where people walk slowly. Deer pass, small bees swoon. BAT THOSE EYES AT THE CHECKOUT.