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Blue
Flowers: Cool Additions for a Harmonious Garden |
The color blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, and confidence. Associated with the sea and sky, it is a color of serenity and inspiration. Physiologically, it is said viewing blue reduces blood pressure, heartbeat and respiration rate. Blue also cools the "hot" colors of red, orange, and yellow.
For these reasons, blue flowers and foliage are invaluable in the garden. Beautiful in their own right, blue flowers are perhaps at their best when used to unite a seemingly hodgepodge of flower colors. They, along with their violet and lavender counterparts, can also create a cool, refreshing view in the heat of the summer.
Flowers that are truly blue in color are often hard to find. In addition to being more of a rare, naturally occurring flower color, plant tags and catalogs that describe plants as having blue flowers can sometimes be misleading. Flowers described as "blue" can in the plant world range from violet-blue to light blue and lavender to even purple. Keep in mind these neighbors on the color wheel can still provide similar, cooling effects in the garden, and certainly would be logical companions in a monochromatic garden.
For blue perennials, try Campanula carpatica 'Blue Clips'. This reliable, clump-forming perennial grows to approximately 12" tall and has open, bell-shaped blue flowers over several months from early to mid-summer. Many other species of campanula are available ranging in color (pale blue to purple), height, and flower form.
Salvia 'Mainacht' (May Night), 1997 Perennial Plant of the Year, displays indigo blue spires in early to mid-summer and grows 24" to 30" tall. It's generally hardy to zone 4 and should be grown in full sun.
If you're not opposed to a zone 5 plant that needs a little more protected location, Caryopteris x clandensis 'Dark Knight' is a wonderful shrubby perennial growing 3' to 5' high and wide. With limited choices in blooming plants for the late summer and early autumn garden, this plant's clusters of deep blue spirea-like flowers are a welcome sight.
Annuals can also be to enhance the perennial border and add touches of blue. A common, but favorite, Salvia farinacea 'Victoria' grows to 18" to 24" tall with deep blue flower spikes all summer long. Salvia guarantictica 'Black and Blue' is another variety that bears striking, rich blue flowers from calyces and stems that are nearly black in color.
Ageratum houstonianum 'Leilani Blue' is compact annual, growing 14" to 16" tall featuring soft, rounded flower heads of azure blue throughout the growing season. 'Blue Mink' is a shorter form with powder-blue flowers.
Lobelia erinus 'Regatta Marine Blue' is also low-growing (6" to 8") royal blue annual that is perfect as an edger or in containers. While it can get a bit lanky in the heat of summer, make sure it has adequate moisture and try shearing it back a bit to encourage new growth.
Finally, add Scilla siberica to your list of spring-blooming bulbs to plant this fall. A winter-hardy bulb that grows to approximately 6", its pure blue blooms in mid-April to early May are a real treat. Scilla do naturalize well too, providing a spectacular carpet of blue season after season. |
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