Baby blue-eyes

Baby blue-eyes: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, spreading cushion 15 cm high and 20 cm wide, with succulent, somewhat sprawling stems that spill over the rim of a pot.

Leaves

Pinnately divided, 2–5 cm, pale green and softly hairy.

Flower

Bowl-shaped, 2–4 cm across, with five petals, on thin stalks above the leaves.

Colour

Sky blue with a white centre and sometimes fine dark speckles. ‘Penny Black’ is almost black with a white edge.

Fruit

A small capsule with a few seeds, which drop to the ground.

Flowering: May–August · Sowing: March–May

Why grow it?

• A rare, bright sky blue with a white centre.
• Flowers for a long time, from May to August, especially in a cool spot.
• One of the few annuals that also flower freely in partial shade.
• Bees visit the open flowers.
• A low ground cover that fills bare patches between perennials, roses or bulbs.
• Child’s play to sow: straight where it is to flower, with no need to raise it indoors.

Baby blue-eyes: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; with morning sun and midday shade it flowers longer than in strong sun.
• Light, humus-rich soil: sand or loam, acid to neutral.
• Evenly moist: in drought and heat flowering soon stops.
• A cool spot sheltered from strong wind, for example at the foot of roses or shrubs, in a rock garden or in an east-facing pot.
• Thin to 15–20 cm.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.15 m tall, 0.2 m wide

Hardiness

Tolerates light frost (to -5 °C)

Goes well with

• Poached egg plant: Yellow and white beside the sky blue, just as low and easy to sow in situ.
• Roses: A blue carpet at the foot of roses keeps the soil cool.
• Lady’s mantle: Lime-green sprays beside the blue, in the same partial shade.
• Viola: Low, colourful flowers in the same pot or edging.

Baby blue-eyes: when and how to plant it?

1. Sow where it is to flower in March–May, as it dislikes being transplanted.
2. Rake the soil to a fine tilth, sow thinly and cover with half a centimetre of fine soil.
3. Keep the soil moist until the seedlings appear, after about one to two weeks.
4. Thin to 15–20 cm so each plant can form a cushion.
5. For pots and hanging baskets, sow straight into the container, in compost that holds moisture well.
6. Sow again every three to four weeks until May for flowers into August.

Care

Watering

Keep the soil slightly moist, especially in dry spells and in pots. Drying out brings flowering to an end.

Feeding

Not needed in the open ground. In pots, a low dose of liquid feed once a month.

Mulching

A thin layer of compost around the plants keeps the roots cool and moist.

Spent plants

Once the plant has finished flowering and looks untidy in the summer heat, pull it up.

Seed

Let a few plants set seed if you want seedlings next year.

Tip: Sow in March–May straight into the border or pots, in a spot with morning sun and midday shade. Keep the soil moist: that way it flowers far longer than in full sun.

Baby blue-eyes: when to prune it?

When: An annual that is not pruned. Clear the plant when it has finished flowering, usually in July–August.

How:

• No pruning is needed: the plant stays low by itself.
• Let a few plants finish flowering and set seed if you want it to self-sow.
• Pull up spent plants and put them on the compost heap.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in March–May where it is to flower or in pots. Collect seed from spent plants in summer and store it cool and dry.

Self-sowing

In a cool, moist spot it sometimes self-seeds. Simply leave the seedlings where they are.

Baby blue-eyes: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −5 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• It is an annual: after summer it has finished flowering and dies off.
• Young plants tolerate light frost to about −5 °C, so you can sow as early as March.
• Keep collected seed cool and dry until March.

Diseases and pests

• Slugs: They love the soft seedlings. Check in the evening and pick them off.
• Aphids: Sometimes on young shoot tips. Hose them off; natural enemies do the rest.
• Flowering stops: In heat and drought flowering stops. Water, choose a spot in partial shade and sow again in good time.
• Collapsing: In summer the cushion falls open. Pull the plant up or replace it with a later sowing.

Through the year

• March: Sow in situ when the ground is not frozen.
• April: Sow in situ or in pots. Protect seedlings from slugs.
• May: Last month for sowing. Thin to 15–20 cm. First flowers.
• June: Full flower. Water in dry spells.
• July: Flowering. Check pots daily for drying out.
• August: Last flowers. Collect seed and clear spent plants.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• At Hitachi Seaside Park in Japan, millions of baby blue-eyes turn a whole hill sky blue every spring.
• The species name honours Archibald Menzies, a Scottish naval surgeon and botanist who visited the west coast of North America in the late 18th century.
• The name Nemophila means ‘friend of the open wood’, from the Greek nemos (grove) and philos (friend), after its liking for cool, light places.