Collinsia verna (Blue Eyed Mary)

Collinsia verna (Blue Eyed Mary) is a very beautiful, slightly fragrant wildflower boasting 2-lipped, blue and white flowers on slender stalks from mid-spring to early summer. The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, and skippers. The flowers arise from the leaf axils, usually in whorls of 4-6. They give way to capsules that contain a few large seeds. This plant spreads by reseeding itself and often forms colonies of variable sizes. Blue Eyed Mary is sometimes so abundant as to form a ravishing blue carpet in the landscape. Blue Eyed Mary dies out in early to mid-summer. The seeds of this charming winter annual are shed in the summer, germinate in the fall, the seedlings persisting through the winter and flowering by mid-spring.

• Grows up to 12-24 in. tall (30-60 cm) and 12-18 in. wide (30-45 cm). Will self-seed in the landscape.
• Performs best in part shade in rich, moist, well-drained soils.
• Stunning when massed in mixed borders, cottage gardens, woodland gardens, and naturalized areas.
• No serious pest or disease issues.
• Propagate by seed sown in summer to early fall.
• Native to the eastern United States.