Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Little Blue Eyes

Okay!
After seeing the fabulous places other people get to visit, I am excited to announce that I, too,
have finally visited an extensive greenhouse/nursery/giftshop, etc. ! :-)

While in Omaha last Thursday, my daughter, 3 1/2 year old granddaughter and I had about 35 minutes to visit Mulhall's. It sounds crazy, I know. But there's a whole 'nother story about that!

However, I WILL return! (A promise to myself!)

I didn't get many photos, but here are a few.





There were Miles of Smiles as I gazed at row upon row of perennials outdoors and row upon row of annuals and interesting "doo-dads" elsewhere.

Now, just take a look at what sneaked into my car!

Sisyrinchium augustifolium 'Lucerne'
better known as Blue-eyed Grass.

It was getting hot and humid when I took my camera outdoors today (out of the air conditioning). Consequently, the lens fogged a bit. But here's a photo of the happy plant in front of the house!
Yea! :-)


Very cute flower, don't you think?

In reading about this plant, I found that this native blue-eyed grass was made by plantsman Robert Herman, formerly of White Flower Farm, while in Lucerne, Switzerland.

I was told that it belongs to the iris family. I've not found evidence to suggest this online, but the foliage is described as "iris-like." (This would be very small iris!)

I did find this information online: "If the plants did not set seed, they might bloom continuously. As it is, they enter a much-needed rest after the pods have ripened but often rebound and rebloom sporadically late in the summer if conditions are right. The thin, grassy foliage is nice in itself, and it will usually continue to grow and look good through summer and fall. Seedlings are common around the base of adults, so even though some are short-lived, they are self-perpetuating, and with time thick stands will develop."

The plant reaches 10 - 12" with a 12" spread. It's considered deer-resistant, likes sun/part sun, flowers in late Spring and early Summer, and needs moisture and good drainage.

Sounds perfect, doesn't it?? :-)
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18 comments:

  1. Randy EmmittJuly 7, 2009 at 9:30 PM

    Looks like a fun place to visit! We have native Blue eyed Grass in the yard and find it lots of places growing wild. It gets mowed and we loose where it is...

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  2. Shady GardenerJuly 7, 2009 at 10:11 PM

    Hi Randy, It was quite fun to visit this place. I actually found a little stand of grass by a flower bed this Spring that had buds that indicated a blue flower... but they got mowed off. If I can locate them again, I'm putting them in a pot! ;-)

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  3. Catherine@AGardenerinProgressJuly 7, 2009 at 10:20 PM

    What a nice plant! I love it's little blue flowers.
    The leaf in my blog today was from a nursery probably like the one you show here. I was able to remember the name of the maker and here is the link. They have such cute stuff, now that I have them online I may have to do a little shopping :)
    https://www.carruthstudio.com/index.html

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  4. Corner Gardener SueJuly 7, 2009 at 10:39 PM

    I live in Lincoln, and just the other day, mentioned to my husband that we haven't been to any of the Omaha nurseries before, and maybe we should go some time. I've also never met any blogger in person before. Maybe we could meet in Omaha some time and go to the one you went to, or another one. Have you been to Lauritzen Gardens? I told Larry, here I've gardened all these years, and have never been there. I need to do something about that!

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  5. Lisa at GreenbowJuly 8, 2009 at 5:49 AM

    I have a couple of those blue eyed grasses in my garden too. I didn't know all the particulars about them. Thanks for the info.

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  6. CherylJuly 8, 2009 at 7:23 AM

    Mom, We'll certainly go again next time you visit.

    And, Sue, you won't be disappointed by Lauritzen Gardens. It is an amazing place!

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  7. GailJuly 8, 2009 at 8:13 AM

    Hi Shady! It's a sweet little iris and grows naturally in our neck of the woods...It sounds like you've had a wonderful summer so far! gail

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  8. Shady GardenerJuly 8, 2009 at 8:35 AM

    Hi Catherine, Thanks! Love the opportunity to do a little on-line looking (and shopping?) ;-)

    Sue, I would absolutely love to meet you and do Both places, if possible! :-) I will e-mail you before I head over to Omaha again!

    Hi Lisa, Glad I could provide a little info. We (I?) can get so excited over such a little thing! ;-)

    Cheryl, Hi Honey! :-)

    Hi Gail! I'd be so afraid I wouldn't recognize it if I found it growing somewhere in the wild...
    I AM having a wonderful summer, and I've a lot more adventure ahead of me! ;-)

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  9. Dee/reddirtramblingsJuly 8, 2009 at 2:45 PM

    That looks like a wonderful place to visit. I'm so glad you got to go, and the blue-eyed grass is a great plant. Hope it loves its new home.~~Dee

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  10. Jean CampbellJuly 8, 2009 at 3:44 PM

    It's a native plant here. I found a clump at the edge of a pasture, years ago. It takes well to mowing and dividing.

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  11. Shady GardenerJuly 8, 2009 at 8:39 PM

    Hi Dee, Thanks for your comment - I, too, hope it loves it's new home! ;-)

    NellJean, How fortunate to know that it takes "neglect!" :-) I'm going to watch for those grasses I mowed earlier... perhaps they're related! And thanks for stopping by.

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  12. Jean CampbellJuly 8, 2009 at 8:58 PM

    You asked about Persian Shield. It is perennial for me, but I take cuttings in the fall just in case it fails to return. Some people grow it as a house plant.

    I have rooted it both ways. It is prone to be a wilter, so the best way for me is root in water just until it has some little roots, then pop it into some soil.

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  13. KathleenJuly 8, 2009 at 11:50 PM

    I'm glad you got to go to a fabulous nursery Shady Gardener and it does look really nice too. I just bought one of those sweet little blue-eyed grasses this spring (for the first time) too. I think it's so dainty & pretty. It's good to know we have another plant in common in our gardens. :-)

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  14. EntangledJuly 9, 2009 at 7:03 AM

    Blue-eyed grass grows wild in our woodland edges. There are several species and I'm not sure which one(s) we have. You have to look awfully closely to see the iris resemblance though.

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  15. troutbirderJuly 9, 2009 at 7:11 AM

    Definitely my kind of place. That and bookstores.

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  16. Shady GardenerJuly 9, 2009 at 9:59 AM

    NellJean, I'm so glad you returned! Thanks so much for the hints. :-)

    Kathleen, We do have a lot of plants in common. We must meet someday. Wouldn't that be fun?

    Entangled, I'm with you. I'm not sure I see the resemblance to iris, but it's very cute. Have you done a post on these grasses?

    Troutbirder, Hi! That and bookstores, indeed! :-)

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  17. EntangledJuly 10, 2009 at 7:13 AM

    Shady G, I posted a couple of pictures of blue-eyed grass, but never wrote anything specifically about it. This year's pic here. I see that I called it S. angustifolium, but I'm not 100% sure of the ID.

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  18. Shady GardenerJuly 10, 2009 at 9:25 AM

    Entangled, Great photo! Thanks for the link! :-)

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