Linum lewisii, Blue Flax seed
Perennial with sky-blue flowers. Fibrous roots hold soil and flowers support pollinators. Covers 1 sq ft.
From Northwest Meadowscape's website:
This plant is one of the overlooked gems of the West. It’s a fiber plant (like its domesticated cousin) – useful for fabric, nets, cordage, baskets, and more. It produces multitudes of bright sky-blue flowers that open in the early morning for many weeks throughout spring and early summer. It grows among gravel and rocky soils with no complaint. It possesses all the dreamy poetic qualities of beautiful flower that exists in far away lonely places where only the sun and stars gaze upon it.Largely displaced by cheatgrass and grazing, our wild blue flax is perfectly at home in moderately arid lands from Alaska and the Canadian Plains, southward throughout California, Texas, and Mexico. It’s mostly a plant of alkaline soils, where it grows up to 3-feet tall as a multi-stemmed perennial, preferring full sun conditions (it can tolerate partial shade, but will produce fewer flowers).
Researchers have noted that there is less pollinator activity on blue flax, than on other wildflowers. This is mostly true however we’ve notice that peak flower-insect activity is very early in the morning so it’s likely that pollinator researchers have missed some of the creatures that depend upon this plant. Throughout the heat of the day, pollen-feeding muscoid flies are the frequent flower visitors, along with small Halictid bees. Under high mid-day heat, many of the flowers may even completely close up.
Few other rangeland flowers can compare with the bright, numerous, and showy flowers of wild blue flax. When mass-planted, the effect is like something out of a painting.
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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