Phacelia californica, Coast Phacelia
Phacelia californica
The genus Phacelia is remarkable for its diversity of attractive wildflowers, from perennials to annuals, from the deepest of blues to the most delicate shade of lilac. This attractive biennial/perennial grows under one foot tall and about 8" to a foot wide. It has a silvery-gray-green cast to the leaves that contrasts beautifully with the fuzzy lavender flowers. (Note that some Phacelia californica have off white flowers, but we carry only the form with light purple flowers).
It is found in a wide range of environments, usually with lean, light sandy or rocky soil and full sun. Though this plant tends to be a short lived perennial, it is remarkable for the persistence with which it reseeds, so that we are never without it. It makes an excellent companion to other silvery species, such as sandhill sage Artemisia pycnocephala.