If you’re looking for color and whimsy in your landscape, or you want to attract pollinators to your wildlife garden, then consider planting Nemophila menziesii, also known as baby blue eyes. This is the plant for you. There comes a moment when a gardener discovers they’re also a musician. When you plant the seed, water it, and watch the tiny sprout emerge from beneath the soil, you feel the power of participation in nature. You become part of the symphony of life, the conductor of botanical beauty. Every plant is enchanting, but there’s something extra special about the social aspect of growing wildflowers. Not only do they provide a stunning backdrop, but they also attract butterflies and other pollinators, creating an abundance of musical notes in the orchestration of natural harmony.
We are providing links to help you find reliable, relevant product information. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Undoubtedly, readers will not allow any baby blue eyes conductive bright blue blooms that will captivate visitors to your garden. In addition to the Williamette River Valley and coastal ranges of Oregon, all the way south through Baja, California, this beautiful flower is moderately drought-tolerant and attracts beneficial insects. Perfect for garden beds, containers, borders, and hanging planters, these annuals are easy to grow. Creating the right soil conditions with partial shade and appropriate moisture, you will be able to cultivate your own baby blue eye flowers. You’re really only a few steps away from having your own magical meadow. Here’s what we’ll cover: What You’ll Learn Ready to learn your next trick? Here’s what every garden magician needs to know about growing baby blue eye flowers. What Is Baby Blue Eye? A member of the Boraginaceae family, and the Hydrophyllum genus, this dainty annual is found in meadows, chaparral, moist woodlands, and cool slopes, mostly on the American West Coast, in California, Oregon, Nevada, and Alaska.
It’s a typical name, baby blue eyes, that tells the story of its brightness and attractive features. Reaching a mature height of six inches with a spread of one foot, it has finely-petaled flowers that are white in color. The flower’s growth in a cluster from the branch tips, on green or purple stems that are thick with white hairs. Baby blue eyes is easy to grow from seed and requires only moderate maintenance. An annual native wildflower, it self-seeds and produces new plants the next year. A lovely companion plant, baby blue eyes grows well with succulents, cacti, and other wildflowers like the California poppy. An important ally in wildlife gardens, it attracts bees, butterflies, moths, and other beneficial insects. Like many indigenous plants, it makes an excellent addition to a pollinator garden. Many winged insects will fly in to eat the flower’s nectar and help promote biodiversity. Baby blue eyes is an excellent source forage source for native bees, which are suffering a population crisis. Cultivation and History No doubt its alluring appearance has made baby blue eyes a popular wildflower. It’s easy to find seeds online and they’re often included in commercial wildflower seed mixes.
This guide will help you understand how to care for your plants in different conditions. If you plant your herbs in a bright location, try to limit sun exposure to two to six hours per day. If the plant is planted in full sun, these plants must have consistently moist soil. Otherwise, it is more detrimental to over-water. Think about considering the recommendation that Pacific Northwest coastal environments where these flowers grow. Keep the soil somewhat moist as the plant matures, and don’t let it dry out completely. Only plant in soil that drains well, and don’t drown the dirt. A slightly acidic to slightly neutral soil pH of 6.0 to 8.0 is best. If you don’t know the pH of your soil, you can do a soil test. Most commercial potting mixes will provide a sufficient pH within this range. This plant likes to spread and has a trailing habit – let it have the space required to flourish if you can. Pruning of any kind is not required, and you will be rewarded with gorgeous blooms in every spring, starting at a minimum of 60 days from germination.
Plants have specific needs and preferences when it comes to their living conditions. They will thrive if they are provided adequate sunlight and proper irrigation, tailored to their specific requirements. If you wish to care for your plants, you can adjust the seed heads before the first frost or in warmer climates, cut them off before the flowers develop. You can then easily transfer these seeds wherever you want in your garden. To maintain the plant’s health, store the seed heads, stems, and leaves in a small envelope or plastic container, and keep them in a cool place out of direct sunlight. The process is practically effortless! Saved seeds can be planted in the following spring. Growing Tips: Maintenance Once your baby blue eyes have gained some height, and the stems and leaves have established, plan to irrigate a few times a month in the absence of rain, or whenever the soil is dry and dusty. Alternatively, you can water them during the early morning hours in the presence of dew, or when the soil is damp after a rainfall. This species is moderately drought-tolerant, but be sure to pay attention and keep the soil moist without soaking it.
It is not recommended to keep soil in containers and hanging planters as it can dry out more quickly than the ground, particularly in warm weather. While eye-catching, plants in such arrangements may require frequent watering. A cold snap might kill your plants, so keep an eye on the weather forecast. You can make a small cover out of plastic or thin fabric like a bedsheet to provide some protection in advance of cold weather. When the flowers are spent, you can deadhead them yourself to avoid self-sowing. Simply cut off or pinch each flower just below the stem. Varieties and cultures differ for purchase. N. menziesii seeds are readily available for purchase.
You can purchase N. menzeusii in various sizes, including pocket, one-ounce, quarter-pound, and one-pound sizes from Eden Brothers.
If you’re looking for beautiful flower mixes to brighten up your garden, you might want to consider the Californian color flower mix. These mixes are available from Botanical Interests and include the Californian color flower mix. One of the flowers that can be found in this mix is the Nemophila menziesii which is also known as the “white form” baby blue eyes. Recommended cultivars of this variety include ‘Snow White’ which has white petals and ‘Snowstorm’ which has saucer-shaped white flowers with purple spots.
You can purchase ‘Snow White’ seeds in pocket-sized, one-ounce, and quarter-pound sizes from Eden Brothers.
In the ninth episode of the show, “Snow White” seeds are also found in the “White Flower Seed Mix” from Eden Brothers. These beautiful flowers feature blue flowers with very prominent deep blue veins.
The Namophila Seed Mix, which contains various species of varioius seeds for birds, is available in packets of different sizes from Eden Brothers. To avoid the loss of time and money due to diseases or pests, it is important to properly store the mix and monitor the health of your plants. If you notice any abnormalities, take action promptly to prevent further damage.
N. menzeisii is a wonderful complement to larger plants when planted in borders, and it is suitable for use as ground cover because of the way it spreads. This small plant’s trailing, whimsical habit brings life to the small, intimate spaces between larger plants. Its tendency to spread helps it to fill out any space it inhabits nicely. Like most wildflowers, it’s in their nature to allow freely and find what position suits them best. It really makes an excellent ground cover for this reason. Baby hues can tell the light-footed foot traffic, but it is delicate. As an understated highlighter, it will accentuate larger or more established plants that serve as a focal point while retaining its own soft appeal.
N. menziesii seeds can be planted alongside other annuals in a meadow or wildflower garden, or on their own in the intimate borders and ground spaces between trees and shrubs. A great way to enhance its growth is by complementing it with compatible flowers like the California poppy or mixing colors to create a kaleidoscopic patch within your landscape.
The name of this product is also perfect for containing fruits and hanging baskets.