• Birds Eyes, Gilia tricolor, in a 4-inch pot, a bushy green mound with blue, violet, white and yellow flowers
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Birds Eyes

Birds Eyes

GILIA tricolor

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Ships as 4"
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Common Name(s)
Birds Eyes
Sunlight
Full Sun (6+ hrs)
Watering
Let dry
Max Height
1'–2'
Max Spread
12"-18"
Special Features
California Native, Cut flowers
Lifespan
Annual
Growing Habit
Mounding, Bushy
Drought Resistance
High drought resistance
Bloom Color
Purple, Blue, Yellow, White
Foliage Color
Green
Themes
Cool Blue, Pastel
Genus
Gilia
Family
Polemoniaceae
Ship Size
4"

Birds Eyes is a live 4-inch plant of Gilia tricolor, a California wildflower whose small saucer-shaped blooms carry four colors at once: blue to violet at the petal edge, white within, a ring of dark purple, and a yellow throat. Dozens open at a time over bushy, fine-textured growth.

It belongs in a sunny bed of lean soil, a gravel garden, a container of mixed natives, or a wildflower strip where bees and butterflies can find it. Keep the water low and the drainage sharp and it asks for nothing else. The stems are long enough to cut for small, casual bouquets.

Fun fact: The genus commemorates Filippo Luigi Gilii, an eighteenth-century Italian naturalist, while the common name comes from the dark ring and pale eye at the center of each flower — markings that work as landing lights, steering bees straight to the nectar.

  • Sunlight: Full Sun (6+ hrs)
  • Water: Let dry
  • Drought Tolerance: High
  • Mature Size: 1'–2' tall × 12"-18" wide
  • Lifespan: Annual
  • Special: California Native, Cut flowers

An easy, water-thrifty native for a hot sunny spot, and healthy arrival is guaranteed.

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