JBtheExplorer
Native Gardener
Stout Blue-eyed Grass, also called Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass, is native to most of the eastern half of the United States.
Stout Blue-eyed Grass is one of my favorite species, and definitely in my top 5.
While the name implies that it's grass, it's not. It's actually a tiny member of the Iris family.
It's one of the smallest plants I grow, but also one of the brightest. It stands out from a distance and can bloom quite heavily after a couple years. The plant gets to be around 8" tall, but can grow as tall as 12". The flowers are only about an inch in diameter.
It blooms in May and June, but will occasionally bloom into July. I've even seen it produce a few flowers in August and September.
It grows best in full sun or partly sunny situations. It can handle dry or average soil, and seems to handle drought conditions once it's well established. Well-drained soil appears to be a must, though.
It mostly benefits tiny bees and flies. I've seen a lot of activity on these flowers on warm spring days. Some birds and mammals also eat the small seeds it produces.
I've been trying to establish a large population of this plant, and using it like a ground cover, both in my native garden, as well as along the outside edge of my pond. I'm trying to fill in every gap with it. I want it everywhere. It's a rare plant in my state, so having an established population of it is pretty cool.
It can be divided every few years, and it's also easy to grow from seed. I've both grown it indoors as well as spread seed outdoors and it grows very well either way. It produces a lot of seeds. I highly recommend it if you live within its native range. If you don't live in it's range and you live in the U.S., you do live in the range of at least one of the many other species of Blue-eyed Grass.
Stout Blue-eyed Grass is one of my favorite species, and definitely in my top 5.
While the name implies that it's grass, it's not. It's actually a tiny member of the Iris family.
It's one of the smallest plants I grow, but also one of the brightest. It stands out from a distance and can bloom quite heavily after a couple years. The plant gets to be around 8" tall, but can grow as tall as 12". The flowers are only about an inch in diameter.
It blooms in May and June, but will occasionally bloom into July. I've even seen it produce a few flowers in August and September.
It grows best in full sun or partly sunny situations. It can handle dry or average soil, and seems to handle drought conditions once it's well established. Well-drained soil appears to be a must, though.
It mostly benefits tiny bees and flies. I've seen a lot of activity on these flowers on warm spring days. Some birds and mammals also eat the small seeds it produces.
I've been trying to establish a large population of this plant, and using it like a ground cover, both in my native garden, as well as along the outside edge of my pond. I'm trying to fill in every gap with it. I want it everywhere. It's a rare plant in my state, so having an established population of it is pretty cool.
It can be divided every few years, and it's also easy to grow from seed. I've both grown it indoors as well as spread seed outdoors and it grows very well either way. It produces a lot of seeds. I highly recommend it if you live within its native range. If you don't live in it's range and you live in the U.S., you do live in the range of at least one of the many other species of Blue-eyed Grass.
That would be the same as planting Blue-eyed Grass.