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Blue Flax

Linum perenne
Also known as: Perennial Flax, Lewis Flax, Western Blue Flax

Blue Flax is a flower in the Linaceae family. It grows best in full sun to part shade with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 4-9. Plants reach maturity about 620–840 days after planting and sit about 12 inches apart.

Varieties

1 from Seeds Now · sorted by days to maturity
  • Blue620–840 days

    The heat- and drought-tolerant, frost-hardy perennial Blue Flax (Linum perenne) produces small 1" light blue five-petal blossoms on 2'-3' wiry stems with delicate foliage. The flower lasts only for a day, opening at dawn and dropping its petals by mid-day. And then another blooms tomorrow. Life cycle: Herbaceous perennial Bloom season: Spring, summer Attracts: Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators Flower meaning: Creativity, domestication, purity, virtue, wisdom

    Growing notes: Botanical name: Linum perenne|Hardiness zones: 4-9|Planting season: Spring|Days to maturity: 2nd year|Cold stratify: Yes|Depth to plant seeds: Lightly cover - seeds need light to germinate|Spacing between plants: 12"-18" apart|Days to germinate (sprout): 7-10 days|Germination soil temps: 65F-75F|Soil types: Sandy, loamy, well-drained|Soil pH: 5.5-7.5|Water needs: Average|Sun needs: Full sun, part shade|Frost tolerant: Yes|Drought tolerant: Yes|Deer resistant: No

    View on Seeds Now
Family
Linaceae
Category
Flower
Form
Stalk
Lifecycle
perennial
Zone
4-9
Height
1–2 ft
Spread
1–1.5 ft
Sun
Full sun to part shade

Plant spacing

1 plant per square footSquare-foot planting diagram: one blue flax fills a 1-foot square, spaced 12 inches from its neighbors.
1 plant per square foot

In a square-foot bed, space blue flax about 12 in apart — that fits 1 plant in each 1-foot square (1×1). Wider rows or containers space the same.

Water
Medium

Plan your blue flax planting

Add blue flax to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.

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At a glance

Days to harvest
620–840 days
From transplant or sow to first harvest
Harvest style
Keep picking
Crops over several weeks
Frost tolerance
Hardy · to ~-20°F
Lowest temperature the foliage usually survives

Growing timeline

When to plant and harvest blue flaxPlanting timeline for blue flax, relative to last frost: start indoors from 8 weeks before last frost to 2 weeks before last frost; grow from 2 weeks before last frost to 87 weeks after last frost; harvest from 87 weeks after last frost to 118 weeks after last frost.GrowHarvestLast frostTransplant
Start blue flax indoors ~6 weeks before transplanting 2 weeks before last frost; first harvest 87 weeks after last frost.
Seed to transplant
28-42 days
Outdoor planting
-14 to 0 days vs frost
Propagation
Seed
Schedule anchor
Last Frost

Care & troubleshooting

No curated care & troubleshooting advice for blue flax yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.