How to Grow Five Spot Flowers

How to Grow Five Spot Flowers Nemophila maculata

Five spot, Nemophila maculata, is an herbaceous annual in the Boraginaceae family of plants, which also includes borage and forget-me-nots.

There are approximately 11 Nemophila species native to the Pacific Coast region, including several commonly referred to as “baby blue eyes.”

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The flowers are upward-facing and cup-like, and sport a signature blue-to-purple spot at the tip of each of the five white petals.

They bloom profusely in mid-spring in warmer climates and through the summer in cooler ones, preferring a temperature range of 55 to 65°F.

Our guide to growing baby blue eyes, N. menziesii, discusses the cultivation of this sister species.

This article presents all you need to know to grow five spot, N. maculata, in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 10.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Let’s meet five spot!

N. maculata is native to California and commonly found at lower elevations where the ground is loose and moist, including slopes, roadbanks, grasslands, and woodland clearings. Vigorous self-sowing has enabled it to naturalize in Oregon and Utah.

In warmer Zones 8 to 10, where winters do not freeze, and cooler Zones 3 to 7, where plants die with the first frost, seeds that fall on organically-rich, bare ground are likely to sprout the following year, leading some to think this hardy annual species is perennial.

Like many wildflowers, five spot has small blossoms, measuring up to one and three quarter inches in diameter.

The petals are bright white with purplish veining, and the blue-to-purple spot on each tip makes for a striking presentation,