Sisyrinchium bellum
A 1-foot-tall, drought-tolerant California native perennial with grassy, tufted leaves and blue-to-purple flowers that bloom in winter to spring, self-seeds easily, goes dormant in summer, and adapts as groundcover, container, or lawn alternative in sunny, well-drained gardens.
Common Names
Blue-Eyed Grass, Western Blue-Eyed Grass
Summary
Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) is a Western North American native perennial in the iris family that forms compact tufts of blue-green, sword-shaped foliage, growing about 6–18 inches tall and 6–12 inches wide with blue-to-violet flowers that have a yellow center, flowering in spring and continuing into early summer; individual blooms last only a day but appear in succession, creating a continuous display, and the plant spreads by creeping rhizomes to enlarge the colony.
In cultivation, it prefers full sun to partial shade and moist but well-drained soil, tolerating a range of soils and thriving in drought-tolerant landscapes once established; it is suitable for front borders, rock gardens, borders, containers, and bog gardens, and can self-seed or be propagated by division to increase clump size, making it a low-maintenance, color-rich addition to waterwise or California-native plant landscapes.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
6-24 inches
Spread
6-12 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 4-9
Sunlight Requirements
Full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist, loamy, well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Moist but well-drained soil
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline soil (approximately pH 7 or higher)
Bloom Color
Blue
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Foliage Color
Blue-green foliage
Fall Foliage Color
Blue-green
Leaf Lifecycle
Other
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division, Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts birds, bees, and butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- S.Watson
- Publication
- Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 277 (1877)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Genus
- Sisyrinchium
Synonyms
Sisyrinchium hesperium Sisyrinchium greenei Bermudiana bella Sisyrinchium eastwoodiae Sisyrinchium maritimum Sisyrinchium angustifolium var. bellum