How to Grow Flax Flowers and the many uses of the Flax Flower!

Planting and Propagation of Flax Flowers  – How to grow Flax Flowers?

Light full sun is required; the soil should be average to sandy and well-drained. You can save lots of trouble by planting the Flax in the correct soil for it.  Heavy clay, cloggy or wet soil with little or no drainage is not the place to plant Flax. It’s a hardy plant and grows quite well with potatoes and carrots as its companions.

If direct seeding, then water thoroughly.

It’s best to plant your Flax in the early Spring, but you may also plant flax flowers in the late Summer/early Fall. Start off the seeds about 6 – 8 weeks before the last frost.

Where and When to Plant Flax Flowers

Flax is a rare type of plant – not only is it a pretty Plant, but it is also tri-functional. This plant Flax is a joy to the gardener and the primary ingredient of linseed oil. We know it is edible; we know it’s used medicinally, and it is also used in the manufacture of everyday items.

How to grow Flax Flowers throughout the Season

Flax gives a delicate, wild look to the garden beds and grows anywhere depending on the species and the conditions.

The plant eventually reaches its mature height of 2,5 ft to 3 ft. It keeps on producing short-lived light blue flowers.

Each flower then develops into a pea-sized seed capsule. Each capsule contains between 4 to 10 seeds. A boost in nitrogen amendments to the oil can help to increase seed yields.

Flax flowers give a delicate and wild look to the garden beds and meadows and grow anywhere from 15 inches to 30 inches in height, depending on the species and conditions. They complement more vigorous foliage plants as Flax has wispy stems of gray-green foliage. Each towering stem is topped with a silky short-lived disk flower, which lives a short life and then is replaced with another that lives as long and then dies.

At its best when it’s growing in a reasonably moist climate, and although it should not be too wet, Flax will not do well in an arid climate unless it receives extra watering.

These small, seemingly delicate, five-petal flowers don’t last long after blooming but are always replaced with new flowers. Therefore, their Season can last for as long as from early Spring to early Autumn.

A point to note is that the Blue Flax is a perennial, and the Scarlet Flax is an annual. However, both of these varieties quickly reseed, and they will expand profusely if allowed and thus live happily in your garden for many years.

Flax Flowers – other Uses

When it comes to Flax, it’s so medicinal that it seems to be used mainly as a herb, although it’s also a flower and a vegetable. In recent years the seeds have become reasonably popular when used as a fiber supplement.

Maybe you’ve never thought of planting Flax in your garden so, before we talk about how to plant and the pros and cons of growing Flax, let me quickly discuss some of its many uses.

It’s one of those versatile plants; that looks like a flower and yet is used for medicinal health. Material (linen) can also be made from Flax, as can linseed oil.

This plant originated in India. But found its way to America due to the Pilgrims who brought it there. They used it for many things, and it has been used for thousands of years to make linseed oil. They also used the long thin stems to make ropes, twine, clothing, linen, and lace. The early Pilgrims used Flax as a food staple and put clothes on their back and many other uses.

Flax is also the national flower of the Republic of Belarus. A country between Poland and Russia.

Its regular height is between 18 inches and 30 inches.

Medical Uses

The medical uses of Flax are abroad. It contains Omega-3, a fatty acid that helps fight many diseases. Medicinal uses include:

Promotes Health Health
Lowers Cholesterol
Protects against strokes,
Lowers blood pleasure
Used for constipation
Helps guard against breast and other cancers.

Food & Nutrition, Flax Seeds

Used in herbal tea.
Ground into a low carb flours for dough and bread making.
Flaxseeds from the plants are turned into Linseed Oil – which can be used in cooking.

Scarlet Flax Flowers

Scarlet Flax has gorgeous red petals and is particularly lovely when paired with the blue of another vigorous self-seeder called – Nigella. There are a few plants near the rocky base of some wine barrel that contrast so well with the California poppies.

Diseases and Pests

Unfortunately, this pretty plant can be beset by diseases and pests, and you need a sharp eye to check on your Flax to ensure that these plants remain healthy. Watch out for:

Flax Bollworm

This is a moth with larvae feeding primarily on the flax flowers and seeds. If left, they will strip your whole harvest or all the Flax in your garden.

For easy identification, they look like green inchworms with white stripes along their sides and backs. If you see them on your plants, you should use a biological control agent immediately.

Cutworms, Aphids, and Leafhoppers

Leafhoppers are usually responsible for the spread of diseases in your garden. You only have to look at their name to understand why.

Aphids are always looking for sap that they can suck.

Cutworms eat leaves and so cause damage to the health of your plants.

To dislodge these destructive pests, especially the Aphids, spray your plants with a really strong (almost jetlike) stream of water and to make them fall off the plants. You can also use the prescribed traps, and insecticide will also be of use.

Powdery Mildew

A fungus causes this, and the plants that it inflicts will lose their leaves and not produce as many seeds as usual. To identify it, it looks exactly as it sounds. Light-colored powdery mildew forms on the leaves in a few spots and spread rapidly.

To prevent this fungus, avoid planting in areas that are too wet. Look for well-draining soil.

Root Rot

This one is not spread by fungus but happens because your plants have been planted in too wet areas

Look Who the Good Guys Are:

Ladybugs and Lacewings

These creatures enjoy eating your garden pests! Welcome these creatures into your garden as they will do a good deal of work for you in keeping your plants as danger-free as they can, but, unfortunately, they may not remain in your garden as they tend to wander.

Spiders and Wasps

These insects are good to have in the garden because they also enjoy eating garden pests.

Enjoy!

Now you have all the details of what could go wrong. They say forewarned is forearmed, and now you know what to do if danger strikes. There is an upside to this because now if you decide to plant Flax Flowers, you can at least protect them, keep them healthy, and enjoy them.

Patricia Godwin

Patricia Godwin

Patricia has many years of experience as a content writer on various subjects, but her first love is gardening. She’s never met a plant she didn’t like and, consequently, she writes about every type of plant you can think of. Once an avid gardener with a herb garden, a succulent rockery, and a rose garden – to mention a few. Nowadays, she’s constantly on the move searching for interesting plants to bring to your attention; and explain to you all the details you need to grow, care and maintain these plants.

Recent Posts