Today’s blog features Sisyrinchium (pronounced sis-ee-RING-kee-um), commonly known as Blue Eyed Grass. Despite its name, it is not a grass but a member of the Iris family. Blue Eyed Grass is not a showstopper that will catch your eye from a distance. Rather, its subtle beauty is enjoyed as a little surprise in your lawn or flower beds. The blooms are tiny, so it is best appreciated when planted near to eye level, either from raised planters or containers. Blue Eyed Grass will grow in sun or partial shade. They spread fastest in damp soil but will do well in any well-drained soil, zones 4-9.
Seeds are available, but if you convince a friend to donate a clump, the plants will spread into colonies via rhizomes. Appearing in early spring and sporadically thereafter, the blue blooms have yellow throats that serve as runway lights to pollinators, directing them to the pollen and nectar-rich blossoms. Honeybees love this plant.
The grassy foliage of Sisyrinchium will blend into the lawn and can be sheared (translation: trimmed via lawnmower) without damaging the plant. Leaves may reach 10 inches or more in length, but their growth habit is more horizontal than upright, so the plant height is usually 6 inches or so.
Blue Eyed Grass isn’t a “wowzer” plant, but a sweet, delicate treat.
The yellow centers and darker veins are directional markers for honeybees.
Sweet little blooms, one-fourth the size of a thumbnail