Guide to growing Blue Eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium
Members of the Sisyrinchium genus can be either hardy or half hardy perennials and can reach an height of between 30 and 90cm.
Sisyrinchium blooms from spring to summer and carries small star shaped flowers atop long stems; these may be blue, yellow, purple or white.
One of the common names for Sisyrinchium is blue eyed grass. Latin names include Sisyrinchium striatum, Sisyrinchium angustifolium and Sisyrinchium idahoense.
How to grow Blue Eyed Grass
It is best to first sow the seeds of Sisyrinchium species such as Blue eyed grass in flats. Seeds should be sown at a depth of 6mm. The flats should then be wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in the fridge for three weeks. The flat should then be sunk into the ground in a shady part of the garden and covered in glass. The Blue eyed grass seeds should take anything from one to six months to germinate. Once the Sisyrinchium seedlings emerge transplant them into a sunny part of the garden that has a slightly acidic soil (pH 5 to 6.5) that is moist and fertile. Depending on the species size Sisyrinchium should be spaced 10cm (small) to 40cm (large) apart.
Caring for Blue Eyed Grass
Blue eyed grass and other Sisyrinchium requires a little looking after; they like a moist soil so water frequently and do not allow the soil to dry out. Once they have finished blooming cut back the stems to ground level. As blue eyed grass may become invasive it is necessary to remove any plants that are not wanted. If you require more plants and do not want to grow Blue eyed grass (Sisyrinchium) from seed then they can be propagated by division in the spring.