Grow Baby Blue Eyes with Dainty Blue-and-White Flowers (2024)

Native annuals are far and few; baby blue eyes is one of them. Native to California, it is a low-growing plant with dainty blue-and-white flowers that add splashes of color to the landscape from late winter to late spring or early summer depending upon where you live. After its profuse bloom, baby blue eyes declines rapidly and dies when the summer heat sets in. However, it easily reseeds if the growing conditions are right.

This annual makes an excellent short-lived groundcover in wildflower or rock gardens. It withstands light foot traffic. Baby blue eyes is also suitable for containers and hanging baskets, spilling gracefully down the sides. Its flowers attract pollinators that will swarm to enjoy the nectar.

Where to Plant Baby Blue Eyes

Select a location in full sun or, in hot climates, in partial afternoon shade where the soil is well-draining and acidic.

For a stunning carpet effect. plant baby blue eyes in drifts or as mass plantings. In addition to wildflower or rock gardens, you can also use it as an edging plant anywhere. Scatter the seeds between clumps of spring-flowering bulbs or early-spring perennials such as bleeding heart, creeping phlox, lungwort, or heartleaf brunnera.

Combine baby blue eyes with cool-weather flowering annuals such as pansies , Johnny jump ups, stock, calendula, dianthus, or sweet alyssum. It is especially striking when paired with yellow or orange flowers. These choices will provide color for weeks in winter and/or early spring.

Baby blue eyes is also suitable for window boxes and patio side containers as well as hanging baskets. Plant baby blue eyes near the container’s edge to let its branches ramble over the edge.

After baby blue eyes dies back, fill the space with summer-blooming annuals or perennials to fill the space and take over the color show.

How and When to Plant Baby Blue Eyes

Baby blue eyes does not transplant well but growing them from seed is a cinch. In climates with cold winters, start seeds indoors in biodegradable pots (peat or coir) 6 to 8 weeks before last spring frost date for bloom from spring until the heat of summer. In hot climates with mild winters (USDA Zone 8-10), sow seed directly in the garden in late summer and late fall for winter to spring bloom. Cover the seeds only lightly, they need light to germinate. Keep them evenly moist until they germinate, which takes 10 to 20 days at a soil temperature of around 55 degrees F. Once the seedlings have developed two sets of true leaves, thin outdoor seedlings to 6 to 8 inches apart.

Provide indoor seedlings with lots of light, either by placing them in a sunny window or under grow lights. Thin the seedlings and only leave the two strongest seedlings per pot. Transplant them outdoors after the last spring frost. Space plants 10 to 12 inches apart.

Baby Blue Eyes Care Tips

Like all wildflowers, growing baby blue eyes is mostly hands-off and easy.

Light

Plant baby blue eyes in full sun to part shade. In climates with hot summers, afternoon shade is recommended.

Soil and Water

The soil should be loose, organically rich, and well-drained, with an ideal pH around 6.0 or slightly below.

In the absence of regular rainfall, water the plants until they are established. With its succulent stems and leaves, baby blue eyes has moderate drought tolerance, however, it dies back prematurely if not watered in extremely dry weather.

Temperature and Humidity

Baby blue eyes is a cool-season annual; its prime time is in the spring or in cool summer climates where nighttime temperatures consistently dip below 65 degrees F.

Dieback over the summer is natural but hot, humid weather early in the season precipitates its decline.

Fertilizer

Like most wildflowers, baby blue eyes does not need fertilizer. Too much fertilizer, especially excess nitrogen, will lead to an overgrowth of foliage and poor bloom. Instead of fertilizing, amend the soil with compost before planting.

Pruning

There is no need to prune the plants. To prevent baby blue eyes from self-seeding (in the same season in warm climates or the following spring in cool climates), remove the seed heads and discard them. Or, to save the seeds, cut the seed heads off and dry them in a paper bag to plant the following spring.

Potting and Repotting Baby Blue Eyes

With its low-growing, trailing growth habit, baby blue eyes is a good annual for containers. Just make sure the container has large drainage holes and fill it with well-draining potting mix.

It needs regular watering, much more frequently than plants in a garden bed. Hanging baskets dry out even faster than standard pots; daily watering in the summer is not unusual.

Repotting is not necessary as the plant concludes its life cycle in the summer.

Pests and Problems

Baby blue eyes has no serious insect or disease issues. It may attract aphids and it is prone to getting powdery and downy mildew.

In hot summer weather, especially in high humidity, the plants deteriorate quickly, which is part of the natural life cycle of this annual.

How to Propagate Baby Blue Eyes

The plants are propagated from seed as described above under How to Plant Baby Blue Eyes.

Types of Baby Blue Eyes

‘Penny Black’

Nemophila menziesii ‘Penny Black’ has deep purple flowers that can be so dark that they almost look like black. If provided with water, this variety blooms for several months. A low-growing, trailing annual, it reaches only 4 inches in height.

‘Snow White’

This variety of Nemophila menziesii has large, pure-white blooms in the early spring. The plants with scalloped foliage grow 8 to 12 inches tall and wide.

Five Spot

Nemophila maculata, also called buffalo eyes, is another California native wildflower in the Nemophila genus. It has 1-inch white blooms with purple spots. The foliage is either solid green or has white spots. It grows 1 foot tall and spreads 2 feet.

Baby Blue Eyes Companion Plants

California Poppy

California poppy, a native wildflower, adds an easygoing dose of color to hot, dry sites. Beautiful, satiny flowers in sunset hues wave above ferny, blue-green foliage. They like poor soils, especially sandy soils. California poppies are a cool-season annual, they offer great color early in the growing season but fade once the heat of summer hits. Plant them from seed in the fall or very early spring. They like moist conditions at first, but they are drought-tolerant once established. California poppies will reseed easily.

Nierembergia

The adorable cup-shaped flowers of nierembergia and its neat growth habit make it a useful annual flower for everything from containers to edging. Plant it in rows along the front of beds or borders for a crisp look (especially with the white types). Or use it in containers—it's a great medium-height plant to visually tie together taller plants and cascading plants. Though it's usually grown as an annual, nierembergia is perennial in Zones 7-10.

Nigella

With its soft blue, intricate flowers and fine-textured airy foliage, nigella stands out in the garden. This delightful little annual, also called love-in-a-mist, blooms throughout the summer. After the petals drop, the plant still looks attractive, thanks to its long-lasting seed pods that resemble tiny fairy lanterns. The seed pods are often used in dried-flower crafts. Nigella does best in full sun and well-drained soil. It often reseeds.