Blue Eyed Grass 'Moody Blues'

Blue-eyed grass, known as Sisyrinchium angustifolium, has violet-blue flowers and branched flowering stems. Despite their grass-like foliage, Blue-eyed grasses belong to the iris family, not the grass family. This perennial forms clumps and usually grows to 12 inches tall with its narrow grass-like leaves. The violet-blue flowers, with six pointed tepals and yellow eyes, appear in spring on stalks rising from leaf-like bracts atop, usually branched flowering stems that are characteristically flattened. Plants formerly classified as S. bermudianum are now included in Sisyrinchium campestre, which has pale blue to white flowers atop unbranched flowering stems.

It grows best in medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. The soil must be consistently moist and should not dry out, and the drainage must be adequate. Under optimal growing conditions, it will self-seed freely. After bloom, shear back plantings to prevent unwanted self-seeding and keep foliage tidy for the remainder of the growing season. Plants should be divided every 2-3 years for vigorous growth.