California Blue Bells (pack)

California Blue Bells (Phacelia campanularia) is a cheery, low-growing native annual from the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, prized for inky blue, bell-shaped flowers. The blooms rise above coarsely toothed, grey-green foliage veined in contrasting red, drawing bees and butterflies through spring. This packet broadcasts over about 10 square feet.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Phacelia campanularia
• Type: Open-pollinated annual, native to the Southwestern US
• USDA zones: 3 to 10
• Planting depth: 1/16 inch
• Germination: 15 to 30 days
• Height at maturity: 8 to 12 inches
• Sun: Full sun
• Coverage: About 10 square feet per packet (about 2,835 seeds)

Best for

• Bee and butterfly pollinator gardens
• Dry, gravelly, well-drained sites and rock gardens
• Southwestern and desert-themed plantings
• Low borders and front-of-bed color
• Gardeners who want an easy native annual

How to grow

Plant in fall on gravelly, well-drained soil in full sun, sowing just 1/16 inch deep. Keep lightly moist through the 15 to 30 day germination window, then thin seedlings to about 8 inches apart. The plants need only light water and reward you with bell-shaped blue blooms from early to late spring.

About Grow Organic

Grow Organic supplies non-GMO seeds and pollinator-friendly mixes for gardeners building healthy, habitat-rich landscapes.

Sold by Grow Organic, based in Grass Valley, California.