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Lisianthus

Eustoma russellianum
Also known as: Eustoma, Prairie Gentian, Texas Bluebell, syn. Eustoma grandiflorum

Lisianthus is a flower in the Gentianaceae family. It grows best in full sun with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 8-10. Plants reach maturity about 140–160 days after planting and sit about 6 inches apart.

Varieties

1 · sorted by days to maturity
  • Lisianthus140–160 days

    PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Seed (difficult) (not currently in seed catalog). Bloom season: Summer. Attracts: Bees, butterflies. Flower meaning: Appreciation, charisma.

    Lisianthus (Eustoma russellianum, syn. E. grandiflorum) has elegant, rose-like ruffled blooms and outstanding vase life, making it a high-end cut flower. Native to U.S. prairies. Can be grown from seed but is notoriously slow and challenging — many growers start from plugs.

    Growing notes: Botanical name: Eustoma russellianum|Hardiness zones: 8-10|Propagation: seed (slow/difficult)|Sun needs: Full sun|Water needs: Medium|Mature height: 1-3 feet|Spacing: 9 inches|Bloom season: Summer

Family
Gentianaceae
Category
Flower
Form
Bush
Lifecycle
annual or biennial
Zone
8-10
Height
1–3 ft
Spread
0.5–1 ft
Sun
Full sun

Plant spacing

4 plants per square footSquare-foot planting diagram: a 1-foot square divided into a 2-by-2 grid holding 4 lisianthus plants spaced 6 inches apart.
4 plants per square foot

In a square-foot bed, space lisianthus about 6 in apart — that fits 4 plants in each 1-foot square (2×2). Wider rows or containers space the same.

Water
Medium

Plan your lisianthus planting

Add lisianthus 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.

Start your free plan →

At a glance

Days to harvest
140–160 days
From transplant or sow to first harvest

Growing timeline

Propagation
Seed
Schedule anchor
Last Frost

Care & troubleshooting

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