Plant Library

Other Names:  Yellow-eyed Grass, California Satin Flower

Description:

A blue-eyed grass native to the west coast; beautiful as edging, or as a rock garden accent if well irrigated; bright yellow flowers with gold centers from late spring to early summer; prefers moist coastal conditions but will tolerate short dry spells

Ornamental Features

Golden Blue-Eyed Grass has masses of beautiful yellow star-shaped flowers with gold eyes at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its glossy grassy leaves remain light green in color throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Golden Blue-Eyed Grass is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Golden Blue-Eyed Grass is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Golden Blue-Eyed Grass will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 8 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by division.

Golden Blue-Eyed Grass is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.