Key Features
- Produces attractive purple to lavender-blue, bell-shaped flowers with a soft, clustered appearance.
- Phacelia tanacetifolia is a fast-growing annual flowering plant with finely divided, fern-like foliage.
- Excellent for flower gardens, borders, cottage gardens, containers, and pollinator-friendly spaces.
- Blooms are highly attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects.
- Adds graceful color and texture to garden beds while providing an appealing naturalistic look.
Growing Benefits
- Adds vibrant purple color and delicate texture to outdoor spaces.
- A beginner-friendly flowering plant when grown in suitable conditions.
- Useful for attracting bees and other pollinating insects to the garden.
- Fast growth allows gardeners to enjoy flowers within a relatively short growing period.
- Works well in flower beds, borders, wildlife gardens, and informal garden designs.
Seed Specifications
- Common Name: Purple Phacelia, Lacy Phacelia, Tansy Phacelia
- Botanical Name: Phacelia tanacetifolia
- Plant Type: Annual flowering plant; Colors: Purple, lavender-blue; Height: About two to three feet; Sunlight: Full sun to partial sun
- Soil: Well-drained, moderately fertile soil; Water: Moderate watering, allowing soil to drain between waterings; Germination Time: About seven to fourteen days; Sowing Depth: Shallow, approximately one-eighth inch
- Spacing: About six to twelve inches apart; Growing Zones: Generally suitable across USDA Zones three through ten when grown as an annual; Flowering/Maturity: Often flowers within about six to eight weeks under favorable conditions; Uses: Flower gardens, borders, containers, pollinator gardens, naturalized areas, and cover cropping
Growing Tips
- Sow seeds in well-draining soil and cover them only lightly because the seeds need light to germinate well.
- Choose a location receiving plenty of sunlight for stronger growth and better flowering.
- Keep the soil evenly moist during germination, then water when the soil begins to dry.
- Thin crowded seedlings early to give each plant enough room for healthy development.
Seed Storage
Store unused seeds in a cool, dry, and dark location. Keep them in a tightly sealed, moisture-resistant container away from heat and direct sunlight. Avoid storing seeds in humid areas to help maintain their viability.
Unique Facts About Seeds
- Phacelia tanacetifolia is commonly known as lacy phacelia because of its finely divided, lace-like foliage.
- Its purple-blue flowers are rich in nectar and are especially attractive to bees and other pollinating insects.
- The plant is native to parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico.
- Phacelia is also valued in ecological gardening and agriculture as a flowering cover crop and beneficial-insect plant.