Garden Notes

Blue-Eyed Grass in front border with Dianthus and Knock-out Rose

I bought a Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium ‘Lucerne’) plant at our local garden center a few years ago when I noticed it blooming in the perennial section. Taking my plant home, I situated it in our front garden close to the walkway since the tag said that it liked sun and was low growing. My Blue-Eyed Grass has bloomed every year since then and has expanded to 3 plants which are now in different sections of the garden.

Lucerne is a low clump-forming perennial that features a fan-like tuft of narrow, stiff, grass-like, blue-green leaves. It does well in medium to moist conditions and seems to like my clay based garden soil. Bloom time is early summer, usually flowering in May and June. The flowers open in the morning with the sun and close up in late afternoon, at which time it looks like any other grass.

I think these plants reseed a bit, but not to the point of being a pest so any extra plants are welcome. However, I probably have pulled out small Lucerne plantlets, not recognizing them from other more invasive grass that I contend with.

Research

Blue-Eyed Grass is not a true grass, but is actually a member of the iris family, closely related to Blue Flag or Wild Iris (Iris versicolor). Blue-Eyed Grass is also called Star Grass because the flowers are distinctly star shaped.

Planting Tips

• Herbaceous perennial
• Grows 6-12 inches tall
• Likes part to full sun
• Zone 4-9
• Deer resistant
• Propagate by division of clumps or sowing seeds