Bird's Eyes

500 Seeds

Seeding Bird’s Eyes (Gilia tricolor) is a lovely way to grow a charming, native wildflower known for its striking tri-colored blooms — usually lavender petals with a purple center and yellow throat. It’s an easy-to-grow annual that attracts pollinators and thrives in wildflower meadows, borders, and dry, sunny spots.

Here’s your full guide:

🌸 Bird’s Eyes (Gilia tricolor) – Seeding Guide

📅 When to Sow

✅ Outdoors (direct sow – ideal):

• Fall: Best time in warm climates (natural stratification)

• Early spring: As soon as soil can be worked (cool-loving annual)

✅ Indoors (optional):

• Start 6–8 weeks before last frost, but direct sowing is easier and more natural for this wildflower

🕰️ Short-lived but quick to bloom — ideal for early-season color.

🌱 How to Sow

Site & Soil:

• Full sun

• Well-draining, sandy or loamy soil

• Tolerates poor soil and drought once established

Sowing Instructions:

• Depth: Surface-sow or cover very lightly (1/16 inch / 1 mm)

• Spacing: Scatter thinly; thin to 6–10 inches apart after sprouting

• Water gently but thoroughly after sowing

🌡️ Germination

• Temperature: 55–70°F (13–21°C)

• Time: 7–20 days

• Keep soil evenly moist (not soaked) until seedlings emerge

🌿 After Germination

• Thin seedlings when they’re 2–3 inches tall

• Once established, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance

🌸 Blooming

• Blooms in 8–10 weeks from sowing

• Flowering season: Spring to early summer

• Will fade in hot summer temps, so often treated as a spring annual

🪴 Growing Tips

• Great for wildflower gardens, rock gardens, containers, and pollinator patches

• Let some go to seed to naturalize for future seasons

• Minimal care required after germination

🐝 Pollinator-Friendly

• Attracts bees, butterflies, and hoverflies

• Native to western North America — good for supporting local pollinators