Five Blue Wildflowers for Green Gardening in the Midwest

Blue wildflowers add an old-fashioned, environmentally friendly touch to the garden. Because of their ability to grow with out extra input, planting wildflowers is an excellent green gardening choice for your flower bed.

Wildflowers that are indigenous to an area are called natives. Other flowers which have been introduced to an area are called naturalized. Both types grow on their own in nature. Little added input of water and chemicals such as pesticides, fungicides, fertilizer means lower landscaping costs, less impact on the environment, and less labor involved! Go green in your garden with these five blue wildflowers suitable for the Midwest U.S. garden.

Blue Wildflowers

• Cornflower/Bachelor Button (Centaurea cyanus)

- Full sun
- Annual but may reseed
- 2 feet tall

Bachelor Buttons are an old-fashioned favorite on farms. Flowers are a bright 'cornflower' blue in a button shape from early to late season. They are very easy to grow from seed. The annual flower may reseed if seed falls on bare ground.

• Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophilia menziesii)

- Shade to filtered sun
- Annual but may reseed
- 1 foot tall

Native to California, this little plant boasts lovely simple baby blue flowers. The small round flowers have five round petals and bloom in the early spring. The annual plant grows quickly and blooms heavily and dies. It may reseed on bare ground the next year.

• Blue Flax (Linum perenne lewisii)

- Full sun
- Perennial
- 2 feet tall

This flower is very easy to start from seed and will bloom the second year. Native to the North American plains, this flower needs average moisture and blooms in the early spring to early summer.

• Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea)

- Full sun
- Perennial
- Up to 3 feet tall

Vivid blue flower spikes up to 3 foot tall. Native to deserts in Texas, and New Mexico but will adapt to other regions. This tough plant craves full hot sun and dry conditions. Easy to grow once established.

• Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

- Full sun
- Biennial
- 4 feet tall

You can capture the lovely sky-blue blue of chicory common to roadsides in your own garden. This biennial grows only leaves the first year and blooms the second. The small brilliant pastel blue daisy like flowers emerge mid to late summer.

Seed Sources

Blue wildflowers are a great choice for green gardening. Thanks to the internet it is easier than ever to find seed suppliers for wildflowers. Suppliers are also a great source of information. These suppliers are a good place to start for Midwest zones 3 to 7 gardens.

http://www.vermontwildflowerfarm.com/

http://www.americanmeadows.com/

http://www.wildflowermix.com/

Sources:

http://www.wildflowerinformation.org/WhatIsAWildflower.asp