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Blue Flax

Linum lewisii

Airy stems open a fresh succession of sky-blue, five-petaled flowers each morning through early summer. An effortless, drought-proof reseeder for sunny western gardens. The oil-rich seed has a pleasant nutty flavor once cooked — raw seed contains cyanide-forming compounds and should not be eaten uncooked.

Family

Linaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

2–3 ft

Spacing

1.5–2 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

acidic, alkaline, neutral

Bloom

March, April, May, June, July, August, September

Bloom colors

blue, purple

Wildlife value

pollinators, songbirds

Landscape uses

border

Native states

AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, IL, KS, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WV, WY