Growing Blue Flax Linum Garden Seeds

Blue Flax linum is easy to grow from seed and recommended for direct sowing outdoors after the frost. Linum has a wildflower habit and most commonly sown by broadcasting. Blend Blue Flax linum seeds with sand to increase visibility during sowing. Broadcast the mix over a 10-square foot area and evenly rake and lightly tamp into soil. Seeds can also be sown traditionally in a garden or pots and planters. Plant 3-4 Blue Flax linum seeds ½" deep and 12" apart in average, loamy, light, and well-drained soil in full sun. Plants can tolerate drought conditions, but do not overwater. Avoid overhead watering to minimize wetting foliage since Blue Flax linum can be susceptible to downy and powdery mildew. Blue Flax will benefit from partial shade during severe summers and has no serious pests. Blue Flax linum seeds are herbaceous perennials that mature in their 2nd year as 18-24" shrubby uprights 12" wide bursting in 2" 5-petaled blooms in delicate shades of sky blue and lavender with a soft yellow eye.

Linum perenne var. lewisii, or more commonly known as Blue Flax or Prairie Flax, is native to the western United States and Canada, spanning from the tip of Alaska down into Baja, and even found naturalized as far east as the Mississippi River. Blue Flax is a member of the Linaceae family or sometimes known as the flax family. Although nearly 200 species of Linaceae are grown to produce flax seed for linseed oil, Linum perenne var. lewisii is cultivated solely as an ornamental variety.