Named for Meriwether Lewis, who encountered it on the plains and foothills of the American West, Blue Flax is a tough, airy perennial that thrives specifically where gardens are difficult: dry, sandy, barren soil in full sun. The mounded plants grow to about two feet, clothed in fine foliage, and in late spring begin producing a succession of five-petaled sky-blue flowers that open each morning and fall by midday. The rhythm of that daily cycle gives the planting an almost meditative quality, a constant renewal that carries through summer.

The deep taproot makes it drought-tolerant and permanent once established, but also means it resents transplanting, so direct sowing where it is to grow is preferred. Rich or moist soil causes flopping. Each plant lives only a few years, but it self-seeds persistently enough to maintain a colony without intervention. Cutting back the top half after the main bloom preserves energy unless a new generation of seedlings is the goal. Bees and Muscoid flies work the flowers faithfully, and Native American communities found uses for nearly every part of the plant, from fiber in the stems to medicine from the crushed leaves.