Blue Eyed Grass Life Cycle

Life Cycle

• In spring, when blue eyed grass blooms, pollinators are attracted by the blue flowers. They arrive, deposit pollen grains on the sticky stigma, part of the plant's female reproductive organ, afterward picking up more pollen from the anthers. The pollen granules generate pollen tubes, which allow the sperm to descend to the ovary at the base of the flower. Fertilization takes place there. After successful fertilization, the flower petals fall away and the ovary swells into a three-chambered capsule that ripens, becoming brown and wrinkled. The capsule opens in the fall, dispersing the seeds.

Germination

• The seeds germinate in one to six months and, in cool climates, benefit from the chilling period provided by the winter. After germination, the plants mature and will produce flowers in their first year. If the weather is right, blue eyed grass produces many seeds that have a high germination rate. After several years, the plant also forms clumps, producing more flowers every year.

Culture

• To increase the chances for successful completion of blue eyed grass' life cycle, grow the plants in full sun in consistently moist soil. Plant blue eyed grass in the front of a border so they're not shaded by larger plants. To increase flowering, shear the plants back immediately after flowering to prevent seed production. Leave the flowers on the stems after the second flush of blooms so seeds can form and be dispersed. You can also propagate blue eyed grass by dividing it every few years.

Varieties

• Blue eyed grass flowers are relatively small, so breeders have worked to increase their size. "Lucerne" (Sisyrinchium angustifolium "Lucerne") features 1-inch deep blue flowers with yellow centers. It grows in USDA zones 4 through 8. "E.K. Balls" (Sisyrinchium "E.K. Balls"), which grows in USDA zones 4 through 8, is much like the species and the "Lucerne" varieties, except that its flowers are purple. The closely related species Idaho blue eyed grass (Sisyrinchium idahoensis), which grows in USDA zones 7 through 8, is smaller, at about 5 inches tall.