Northwest Blooms · Perennials
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Blue-Eyed Grass
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Height
- 12 to 18 inches
- Width
- 12 to 18 inches
- Flower color
- Violet blue star shaped flowers with bright yellow centers
- Foliage color
- Narrow upright grasslike blue green leaves forming tidy clumps
- Bloom time
- Late spring to early summer
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Moderate moisture
- Maintenance
- Low; cut back spent flower stems and divide clumps every few years to maintain vigor
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Wildlife
- Attracts bees and other pollinators
About this plant
Sisyrinchium angustifolium forms upright clumps of narrow, grass like green leaves that emerge in tidy fans and create a fine textured presence through the growing season. In late spring to early summer, slender stems carry small star shaped flowers in clear violet blue, each bloom centered with a bright golden eye and opening in succession above the foliage.
Native to eastern North America, the species grows naturally in open meadows and grassy clearings. In gardens it lends a natural character to borders, meadow plantings, and cottage style beds, where the delicate flowers and upright foliage blend easily among perennials and ornamental grasses.
Works well in
Borders · Cottage Gardens · Pollinator Gardens · Rain Gardens · Containers
Companion plants
Hostas · Ferns · Astilbes · Foxgloves · Bergenias · Sedums
Design tip
Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. Because it is easy about light, use it to carry a planting from a sunny end of the bed into the shadier side.
