The first time I saw this beautiful plant was in a Cameron Parish drainage ditch between an abandoned parking lot and coastal marsh near the Calcasieu ship channel ferry landing. The graceful blue flowers swayed in the wind between the green marsh grass and white limestone. I returned later to collect seeds and germinated them at ANPP's greenhouse. People were unfamiliar with the plant and it didn't sell well (because it wasn't in flower), so we planted it in our demonstration garden next to river oats on the slope of the ditch with some Texas coneflower towering above it. What a beauty!
This herbaceous plant has opposite, lanceolate leaves standing from 20 to 30 inches tall. Blue to lavender cup shaped flowers about one and a half inches wide are borne on long stalks, blooming from May to October. The literature lists it as annual, biennial and short lived perennial so even if it doesn't back, it reseeds readily in a tough environment. It is found in saline to fresh marshes from Grand Isle to Texas, and in moist places in prairies and fields, so plant in moist and sunny locations. Also called small bluebell, a variety of this plant this was one of Lady Bird Johnson's favorites!
ANPP volunteers will collect and plant seeds from our demo garden. When the plants are ready for sale, look for them on our inventory. Dona Weifenbach. Photo credit: Larry Allain
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