Rain Garden Plants: Blue-Eyed Grass

Blue-eyed grass is not a grass; it is a perennial in the iris family. It has star-shaped, ¾-inch blue flowers with yellow centers. The dainty flowers close in the afternoon or evening and open in the morning. Branching stems are longer than leaves. It has grass-like, semi-evergreen leaves that form dense clumps. Blue-eyed grass spreads via rhizomes or self-seeds, and seed capsules are filled with tiny, black seeds. It is drought tolerant and deer resistant.

• Height: 4 to12 inches
• Bloom color: Blue
• Bloom time: May to June
• Hardiness zone: 5 to 9
• Salt tolerance: N/A
• Spreading habit: Self-seeds, clump-forming

Site Conditions

• Sun: Sun/partial shade
• Soil: Consistently moist, well-drained
• Hydrologic zones: Dry

Sources

Missouri Botanical Garden.

Prepared by Jessica Chou, Jodi Sulpizio, and Constance Schmotzer.

For a printable PDF version of this article, contact Jodi Sulpizio at jrb143@psu.edu.