Common Flax Linum usitatissimum

Common Flax is an flowering, short-lived, annual subshrub in the flax family and a native of Turkey and Iran. In its native habitat, it can be grown as a perennial, but it is not cold tolerant and is more typically grown as an annual. It produces pale blue flowers on slender, but strong, stems in late spring into mid-summer. The thin, wiry stems that support the flower buds appear delicate, but are difficult to break.

Common Flax prefers moist, well-drained, mildly acid, neutral and mildly alkaline soils. It does best in full sun and cannot grow in the shade. The plant tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. It will tolerate drought and dry or rocky soil, but clay soils can cause the plant to root shallowly that will cause problems for the plant in cold weather.

After perennial flax finishes flowering in summer, prune back the stems by half to prevent the plants from becoming leggy and sparse. Pruning halfway through the bloom season will extend flowering. Division is not advisable, because the roots system is sparse, but you can propagate with seed or stem cuttings in summer. 

Flax was first known to be used as a textile 30,000 years ago. Today Common Flax plants are commercially grown for making linen (from the stems) and linseed oil (from the seeds).

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

Cutworms and grasshoppers can be occasional pests.