Baby blue eyes

Sun

Full sun in cool climates; light afternoon shade where spring weather becomes hot.

Water

Keep evenly moist while seedlings establish and during flowering, without leaving the soil waterlogged.

Soil

Well-drained loam or sandy soil with modest fertility; tolerates slightly acidic to slightly alkaline conditions.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Flowers

Spring to early summer, sometimes longer in cool climates; sky-blue, open cup-shaped flowers with white centres.

Foliage

Soft, pale to medium green, deeply lobed leaves on low, branching, somewhat hairy stems.

Growth

Fast; germinates, flowers and sets seed within one growing season.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US

Growth rate

Fast

• Sow directly where plants are to flower, covering the seed lightly; avoid disturbing established roots.
• Thin seedlings to about 6-8 in (15-20 cm) apart so air can move between plants.
• Water gently during establishment, then water when the soil surface starts to dry.
• Avoid heavy feeding; rich soil encourages leafy growth rather than flowers.
• Keep thick mulch away from seedlings and leave some bare soil if you want plants to self-seed.

Pruning. No structural pruning is needed. Remove faded flowers to extend the display, or leave some seed capsules to ripen before pulling out plants once they have died back.

Early spring

In cold-winter regions, sow directly once the soil is workable; protect emerging seedlings from severe frost.

Spring

Thin crowded seedlings and keep the soil lightly moist while roots establish.

Late spring

Remove faded flowers if you want to prolong flowering, and water during dry spells.

Early summer

Allow a few seed capsules to turn brown for self-seeding or seed collection.

Summer

Remove spent plants after heat ends flowering; replace them with plants suited to warmer weather.

Autumn

In mild-winter regions, sow outdoors for a spring display. Use local seasons rather than Northern Hemisphere dates.

• Sow along the front of borders for a low ribbon of blue in spring.
• Plant between spring bulbs to soften bare soil around their stems.
• Combine with low white or yellow annuals for a loose, cool-season flower carpet.
• Use in shallow containers or window boxes that stay cool and drain freely.
• Include in California-native annual displays, leaving patches of open soil for self-seeding.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Wildflower, California native, Pollinator garden, Blues and silvers and Pastel border.

Plant it with: California poppy, Sweet alyssum, Poached egg plant, Five spot, Grape hyacinth and Dwarf daffodil.

Wildlife: The open flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees and other small visiting insects.

• Slugs and snails can eat young seedlings: inspect after dark, remove hiding places and use wildlife-conscious control where needed.
• Seedlings collapse in persistently wet soil: improve drainage, thin crowded plants and avoid frequent heavy watering.
• Powdery mildew may develop on crowded or stressed plants: improve airflow, water at soil level and remove badly affected plants.
• Flowering stops and foliage browns in hot weather: sow earlier, provide afternoon shade and treat it as a cool-season annual rather than trying to keep it through intense heat.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Species-specific safety information is limited, so do not treat it as edible or encourage pets or livestock to eat it.

• Five spot (Nemophila maculata)

  Has white flowers with a distinct purple-blue spot at the tip of each of the five lobes, rather than mainly blue flowers.

• Wood forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica)

  Has clusters of much smaller blue flowers with yellow eyes and simple, unlobed leaves.

• Desert bluebells (Phacelia campanularia)

  Has deeper blue, more bell-shaped flowers, conspicuous projecting stamens and broad, toothed rather than deeply lobed leaves.

Nemophila comes from Greek words meaning woodland-loving, menziesii honours naturalist Archibald Menzies, and baby blue eyes describes the flowers.

Propagation. Grow from seed, sown directly in early spring in cold-winter areas or in autumn where winters are mild. Cover lightly and keep moist until germination; it may self-seed where some seed reaches open soil.

Accepted botanical name

Nemophila menziesii

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states. Introduced in Alaska.

Native range

California, Mexico Northwest, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.