Linum perenne - Perennial Flax

Linum perenne, also known as perennial blue flax, is a small and elegant plant, forming a cluster of thin and flexible stems. Its long flowering, as light as it is ephemeral, offers an abundance of small single flowers, with a satin-like light blue colour, seeming to flutter in the air. Each flower often lives no more than a day, but they tirelessly renew themselves above a very fine foliage of a slightly bluish green colour. The perennial flax appreciates the sun, light and rocky soils, even dry ones. Plant it in sunny flower beds or rockeries, it will bring a lovely rustic touch to any garden.

The blue perennial flax is a plant native to Siberia, Europe, and temperate Asia, belonging to the Linaceae family. It is a small hardy perennial plant, with a short lifespan, forming a cluster of delicate stems adorned with persistent green-blue foliage, composed of very fine leaves. When in bloom, the blue flax forms small bushy clumps, 50 cm (20in) in height and 20 cm (8in) in width. The flowering period extends, depending on the region, from May to June (in hot and dry climates) or from July to September, in the form of displays of five-petalled funnel-shaped flowers, pale blue finely veined with darker blue, with a satin-like texture. This plant, often cultivated as a biennial, self-seeds abundantly in light, sandy, or rocky soil.

Perennial flax, just like cornflowers, are unrivaled in lightening up flower beds and adding a natural touch to sophisticated scenes. They suffer from a somewhat precarious health, which often makes them disappear within a few years, but they naturalise easily. Plant perennial flax without moderation in rockeries, meadows, borders, flower beds, or light soil. In the midst of Iris germanica, the perennial flax lightens up the sword-shaped foliage, fills the space between the stems, and takes over once their flowering is finished. It also performs well in pots. Its elegance pairs well with plants with grey foliage such as Senecio cineraria, artemisias, lavenders, and Californian poppies, which require the same growing conditions. Like perennial geraniums, blue flax is a lovely companion for peonies and old-fashioned roses.