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Key characteristics

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

Perennials

Sisyrinchium angustifolium

Blue-Eyed Grass

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.

Light

Full sun to partial shade

Water

Moderate moisture

Bloom time

Late spring to early summer

Find this plant

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.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)