It’s early April, but I’ve already started mowing the grass. The backyard just got a little too unruly, and I have already gotten my first tick of the season. This is always a sign that it’s time to mow. I try never to walk through grass higher than my ankle for that reason.
Now, I try to keep the front yard nice and well maintained, so the neighbors don’t get too upset about my ‘wild’ gardening style, but the backyard I let get a bit unruly sometimes. I like to leave some stuff in the grass for the birds and bees. There were so many wildflowers growing up in the grass this week that I mowed around several patches so that some were left for the bees and butterflies.
Mostly, the wildflowers were yellow-tops (butterweed) and Philadelphia fleabane, but I came across this lovely little flowering grass which I looked up in my wildflower books. It turns out it is prairie blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium campestre). While I have no doubt that this grass has been back here for several years, this is the first year I noticed the blooms. They are really striking.
Prairie Blue-Eyed Grass
It wouldn’t inspire much thought if you stumbled across this plant when not in bloom. The leaves look like grass and arise from a clump. However, it is actually in the same family as irises. It’s about 6 inches tall but can grow as high as 10 inches, and it’s a perennial!
The tiny little 1/2-inch flowers have six petals which are white or a very pale blue and a bright yellow center. The flowers grow on unbranched stems, making it look like they are growing from the leaves.
This plant was growing in the part-shade conditions on my lawn which stays moist most of the time. It can be grown in full sun and prefers moist soils with decent drainage. For the best blooms, divide plants every couple of years. It blooms in spring.
Prairie blue-eyed grass is native to Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
This plant will do well in rock gardens and as a border. You can cut it back after the flowers to prevent self-seeding.
Wildlife Value of Blue-eyed Grass
Songbirds and wild turkey feed on the seeds of prairie blue-eyed grass. When the flowers bloom in spring, you’ll see bees visiting them for nectar and pollen.
