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Linaceae
Perennial Flax
Linum perenne
Domestic virtue and simple elegance.
- Family
- Linaceae
- Genus
- Linum
- Native to
- Europe, central Asia
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 30–60 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, lean
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 4–9
- Lifespan
- perennial; short-lived (3–5 years)
Did you know
- Each individual flower lasts only a single day, but the plant produces so many that it blooms continuously for weeks.
- The related species Linum usitatissimum gives us both linen fabric and linseed oil — one of humanity's oldest crops.
- Its sky-blue flowers are among the truest blues in the garden, with no hint of purple.
- The slender stems sway gracefully in the slightest breeze, creating a shimmering blue haze in mass plantings.
- Lewis Flax (Linum lewisii), a closely related North American species, was documented by the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Color meanings
Blue
faithful domesticity
White
pure simplicity