Purple Fringe Seeds, Blue Alpine Phacelia, Phacelia Sericea, PC0350

Phacelia Sericea, with the common names Purple Fringe, Green Phacelia and Sericeous Phacelia, is a native wildflower of the western United States. I first experienced it's exquisite beauty in Rocky Mountain National Park and then again in Mountain Village, the town adjacent to Telluride, CO. If you've never been to Telluride. You must go. Mind blowing.

The flowers are so delicate, fuzzy and are borne on elongated spires. They are so impressive with their bounty of blooms and how they rise high above the foliage. Such a beautiful sight, as if the mountains behind it were not beautiful enough. It is drought tolerant, once established, cold hardy and tolerant of rocky soils. It is typically found at elevations from 8,000 to 12,000 feet in alpine and sub-alpine environments. It is native to the following states:

Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
New Mexico
Nevada
Oregon
Utah
Washington
Wyoming

Purple Fringe is typically propagated via seed. As is the case with most cold tolerant perennials, it requires 4-6 weeks of cold to break dormancy. This can be achieved by sowing outdoors in fall/winter or by simulating these conditions in your refrigerator by folding the seeds into a moist paper towel and sealing them in a ziploc bag and placing them in your refrigerator for 4-6 weeks. It can also be helpful to put them in the freezer at random and then back to the fridge, to emulate the natural and random freeze and thaw cycles that they would experience outdoors. Then they should be sown when temps are between 65 and 75 degrees and just barely covered, as they need light to germinate. They take 2-4 weeks to germinate, sometimes longer if conditions are on the cooler side.

They are a beautiful addition to rock gardens and xeriscaping gardens.

They grow 6-24 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide

Perennial zones 4-8, where they will return every spring

This is for 50 seeds