Early Morning at the Greenhouse, and Eye-Catching Blue-Eyed Grass

Offer me a trip to my favorite greenhouse, and I will have my seatbelt on before you can even get into the car. I will take such a trip at any time of day, happy to engage in my favorite type of shopping. But have you been to your local greenhouse in the earliest of its opening hours? I had the luxury of being a “first customer” this morning, and it was a treat.

I believe that an early morning greenhouse trip lets me “see” plants better than I do at other hours. I walk through the aisles, admiring how the morning sun hits the plant faces that seem so ready to greet the day. Birdsong is louder than at other times, bees seem to be more abundant, and all my senses are heightened so that color, fragrance, and form of the plants become very evident to me.

Today’s early plant-finding trip made me feel as though I was walking in my own garden, cup of coffee in hand, strolling long before others were awake. There were no other customers around, and the peacefulness enabled me to think of how certain plants would look in my garden. I was especially able to inspect tiny plants that sometimes get overlooked.

Violas and Pansies were giving off wonderful fragrance and were colorful as could be. Early morning moisture glistened on blades of calming blue Fescue and other ornamental grasses—“big” plants, indeed. But today, I was most interested in the very petite flowering Blue-Eyed Grass. Sisyrinchium angustifolium, Blue-Eyed Grass, is a perennial that I got to view as though it was under a magnifying glass. Known for its star-shaped, dainty flowers that are positioned perfectly at the tips of what appear to be blades of grass, Blue-Eyed Grass is a wonder in May and June, when its flowers stare right up at the blue sky above.

Although the “blue eyes” of Blue-Eyed Grass were not visible on my trip to the greenhouse today, plant tag photographs were enough to help me know what this dainty plant would offer in the upcoming weeks, as spring will lead to the earliest days of summer. 

Where I live, Blue-Eyed Grass is not common… or maybe it is tucked away in secluded parts of neighbors’ gardens where I just cannot get a glimpse of it. But I consider this to be an unusual plant. Blue-Eyed Grass cultivars such as ‘Lucerne’ have “eyes” in a pretty blue that is almost violet. (Hey, it worked for Elizabeth Taylor, so why not?) Other cultivars are paler, in sky blue or the palest lavender blue. No matter the color though, each bloom has six delicate petals, and the petals stem from a golden center that is so small, it is as though it was created with a pencil tip dipped in sunny yellow paint. But I must say I love ‘Lucerne’ for the size of its blooms, which are slightly larger than those of other Blue-Eyed Grass varieties. Pretty, indeed.

Be sure to plant your Blue-Eyed Grass in a spot where it will get regular moisture but not have wet feet. It needs good drainage. It also needs a good amount of sunshine each day. For me, this means planting it in a small patch within a sunny garden bed that is not already filled with flowers. In this rather spare garden patch, Blue-Eyed Grass will not be at risk of becoming shaded by larger plants, and it will not fall victim to shoes and boots that might come along. (This is not a plant that can tolerate foot traffic…. It is much too delicate for that.)

This morning’s trip to the greenhouse… well, I felt as though I owned the place. And now I do own Blue-Eyed Grass ‘Lucerne’. I might not have purchased it, had I not been able to inspect it so carefully… had I not been able to let my mind wander as I walked the plant aisles, thinking that I was at home and considering the overall style of my garden and how good this low-growing perennial would look within it. But everything was so peaceful, I was able to do this. 

Don’t miss work. Don’t dash out without your jacket. Don’t drive too fast. You can shop for plants later in the day, so there is no need to rush. But when you find yourself with the luxury of a free morning, consider becoming “first customer” at your favorite greenhouse. Walk slowly. Listen to the birds and enjoy the sun. And see what catches your eye. Perhaps it will be Blue-Eyed Grass, as it was for me. Blue-Eyed Grass certainly caught my eye.