Northwest Blooms · Perennials
Sisyrinchium striatum
Yellow-Eyed Grass
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Height
- 24 to 36 inches
- Width
- 18 to 24 inches
- Flower color
- Pale creamy yellow flowers with darker yellow throats held on upright stems
- Foliage color
- Upright blue green swordlike leaves forming dense clumps
- Bloom time
- Late spring to early summer
- Light
- Full sun to light partial shade
- Water
- Moderate moisture in well drained soil with some drought tolerance once established
- Maintenance
- Low; remove spent flower stems and divide clumps every few years to maintain vigor
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Wildlife
- Attracts bees and other pollinators
About this plant
Sisyrinchium striatum forms upright fans of narrow, blue green leaves that create a clean, architectural clump through the growing season. In late spring to early summer, slender branching stems rise above the foliage carrying clusters of small, pale creamy yellow flowers, each marked with subtle brownish veining and a soft golden center.
Native to Chile and Argentina, the species grows in open grassy landscapes and foothill regions of South America. In gardens it brings vertical texture to borders, gravel plantings, and naturalistic designs, where the upright foliage and airy flower stems weave comfortably among perennials and ornamental grasses.
Works well in
Borders · Cottage Gardens · Pollinator Gardens · Waterwise Gardens · Cut Flower Gardens
Companion plants
Columbines · Lungworts · Daylilies · Japanese anemones · Bleeding hearts · Catmint
Design tip
Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. It takes sun or light shade, which makes it useful along the changing light of a bed edge or a partly shaded border.
