Blue Flax

Linum lewisii

Characteristics

Culture

Blue Flax is a short-lived perennial herb with blue-green needlelike leaves on graceful 2-foot-tall stems. Satiny sky blue flowers, borne on wiry stems, appear in late spring, last through midsummer, and open fully only on sunny days. Small rounded seed heads form in summer.

Linum lewisii is a perennial plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Discovered and documented by Meriwether Lewis, in whose honor it was named. Blue Flax (a/k/a Lewis Flax or Prairie Flax) grows best in lean, well-drained soil and full sun. Cut back to sedum-like basal growth in formal plantings, or leave spent flower stems behind to blend in with a naturalistic setting.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems. Cutworms and grasshoppers are occasional insect pests.

Garden Uses

Blue Flax looks best when massed.  It is effective in rock gardens, border fronts, meadows, wild gardens or informal naturalized plantings and is also a colorful addition to an herb garden. Good Container plant. Naturalizes.