Key Features
- Produces delicate violet-blue flowers arranged along distinctive curled flower clusters.
- Fast-growing annual with finely divided, fern-like foliage.
- Excellent for pollinator gardens, cottage gardens, borders, containers, and naturalized spaces.
- Performs best in full sun with well-drained soil.
- Creates attractive movement, texture, and cool-toned color in seasonal plantings.
Growing Benefits
- Adds soft violet-blue color to garden beds and containers.
- Provides nectar-rich flowers that attract bees and other pollinating insects.
- Fast-growing habit helps fill garden spaces during the growing season.
- Fine foliage adds texture and contrast to mixed flower plantings.
- A beginner-friendly annual for sunny garden locations.
Seed Specifications
- Common Name: Lacy Phacelia, Tansy Phacelia
- Botanical Name: Phacelia tanacetifolia
- Plant Type: Annual flowering plant
- Colors: Violet-blue to lavender-blue
- Height: Approximately twelve to thirty-six inches
- Sunlight: Full sun
- Soil: Well-drained, moderately fertile soil
- Water: Moderate; keep soil evenly moist during establishment
- Germination Time: Approximately seven to fourteen days under favorable conditions
- Sowing Depth: Approximately one-eighth inch
- Spacing: Approximately six to twelve inches
- Growing Zones: Commonly grown as an annual across a wide range of USDA zones
- Flowering/Maturity: Often begins flowering within several weeks under suitable growing conditions
- Uses: Pollinator gardens, cottage gardens, borders, containers, naturalized plantings, and seasonal displays
Growing Tips
- Sow seeds directly in a sunny location with well-drained soil.
- Cover seeds lightly because deep planting can reduce successful emergence.
- Keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings become established.
- Thin crowded seedlings to encourage healthy growth and airflow.
Seed Storage
Store unused seeds in a cool, dry, dark location. Keep seeds in their original packet or an airtight container and protect them from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight.
Unique Facts About Seeds
- Lacy phacelia is scientifically known as Phacelia tanacetifolia and belongs to the borage family, Boraginaceae.
- Its flower clusters have a characteristic curled shape that gradually unfurls as flowering progresses.
- The plant's finely divided foliage gives it a soft, lacy appearance.
- Its nectar-rich flowers are particularly attractive to bees and other beneficial insects.