Collinsia grandiflora, Blue-Eyed Mary seed
A spring annual with striking blue and purple flowers. Excellent in wildflower meadows and pollinator plantings. Covers 1 sf.
From Northwest Meadowscape's website:
Spectacularly showy little flowers atop unassuming foliage.
Another showy annual for seasonally wet spots that dry out in the summer. Blue-eyed Mary is at home in the same conditions where you might find common camas, seablush, western buttercup, or even wetter-adapted plants such as meadowfoam and fragrant popcorn flower. It combines well with all of those species, and can even survive in drier and rocky soils if enough rainfall is available. Blue-eyed Mary is also tolerant of partial shade, making it a good understory plant.
The narrow leaves of this plant tend to blend into spring grasses, finally becoming visible when it produces its striking blue and white (almost pea-like) flowers from April to June. Under optimal conditions this plant can reach around a foot in height, although it’s not uncommon to see it remain a bit smaller. With minimal competition, this is an annual that can re-seed itself, creating colorful swaths, especially around seasonally flooded locations, year after year. Blue-eyed Mary is native from Northern Washington to the central coast of California.
How to Use Your Cover Crop & Native Seed Packets
Each seed packet is measured to cover 25 sq ft or 100 sq ft, depending on the size you chose.
Sowing Instructions
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When to sow: Fall is ideal in Portland. The soil is still warm for germination, and fall rains keep seedlings watered. Some seeds (like meadowfoam or clovers) can also be spring-sown.
How to sow:
- Rake the soil lightly to create good seed-to-soil contact.
- Scatter the contents of the packet evenly over the area (don’t worry about perfect spacing).
- Gently press or rake seeds in so they make contact with the soil. Do not bury deeply — most native and cover crop seeds need light to germinate.
- Water: Fall rains usually do the job, but water lightly if the weather turns dry.
What to Expect
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Traditional Cover Crops (rye, peas, fava, daikon, crimson clover, buckwheat, mustard): Grow quickly, protect soil, and build fertility. In spring, chop them down or mow before they set seed. Some (like rye) can also be crimped into a mulch.
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Living Mulches (red fescue, dwarf yarrow, creeping thyme, low clovers): These stay low and provide long-term weed suppression and ground cover. Shear lightly as needed, but they don’t require replanting every year.
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Pollinator Wildflowers (Clarkia, poppy, gilia, flax, meadowfoam, coneflower, blanketflower): Not classic cover crops, but they add beauty and attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects. Many reseed naturally.
Spring & Summer Management
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Chop-and-drop: Cut plants at the base and leave them as mulch (peas, fava, clovers).
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Mow: Use on ryegrass or cereals to turn them into quick mulch.
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Crimp: Flatten tall rye or grains at flowering to create a long-lasting weed barrier.
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Shear perennials: Yarrow, thyme, and sedges can be trimmed back after bloom.
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Self-seeders: Flowers like poppy, clarkia, and meadowfoam will often reseed themselves. Leave some seed heads if you want them back next year.
Quick Tips
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Cover crops = soil builders.
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Living mulches = weed suppressors.
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Wildflowers = pollinator magnets.
Tulle or row cover can protect young seedlings from birds and slugs until established.
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