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Nigella is sooooo easy to grow – seed just simply scattered on the open disturbed ground in late winter! Then how about the Borage family with two caressing candidates in the form of Anchusa azurea ‘Dropmore’ from Spain with its bristly 3 foot plus tall stems spurting out rich deep blue flowers that the bees and hoverflies alike simply adore. It’s a superb herbaceous perennial for the front half of the plant filled border that to my horticultural horror is barely used by budding gardeners. I grew this plant from Chiltern Seeds – it’s not difficult to get hold of. Another starker exotic blue endowed candidate also from the borage family is the famous biennial Echium pininana – in its native habitat in the wilds of La Palma in the Canary Islands it’s an extremely rare gigantic stunner that throws up a towering 15ft plus flower spike. In cultivation especially in the milder parts of London & the South West the flower spike can top 20ft – Bees love it. In fact it’s a 25 storey honey hotel.
But if you’re looking for less ravaging large blue flowered plants – how about the dinky Sisyrinchium angustifolium from SE United States with its grass like foliage & sweet subtly glowingly pale blue flowers. It’s a delicious plant for the hot rockery. But for a blue blaster look no further than Baptisia australis also from North America – with its delicate retina blasting bashing blue arousing flowers. Baptisia australis also known as “False Indigo” looks simply spectacular as a mass planting.
For a South African Blue and in full flower now Bloggers – look no further than Agapanthus – there are heaps of varieties in varying shades of purplish-blue to choose from. My favourite (pictured) is Agapanthus praecox. This Agapanthus looks fabulous peeping its glistening blue heads through the East African Love Grass – Eragrostis Curvula.
But how can I leave my beloved continent of Australia out – well to florally knock you down like a dis-used chimney stack ready for explosive demolition – I give you readers Orthrosanthus laxus from Southern Australia, known commonly as “The Morning Flag Iris” – a larger version of the Sisyrinchium angustifolium – with a clumping habit & a stonking pastime for promiscuous self seeding! A real winner!
But plant nutty bloggers I’ve left the best till last in the form of a frost tender subject called the “Blue Flowered Milkweed” from Brazil with the curiously endearing botanical name of Tweedia caerulea (caerulea meaning blue in Latin). The blue metallic colour that the flowers exhibit could only be painted by the guy upstairs! I purchased this rare plant from Burncoose Nurseries in Cornwall.
The above are only a few ideas for blue plantings there are many many more blue plants for your garden, patio & greenhouse. Blueness ahoy Bloggers!!!
Ps. Bloggers don’t forget this Saturday & Sunday we have at Lullingstone our first ever plant hunters extravaganza. I’m going to be giving guided tours of the World Garden dressed up as David Douglas – showing you the amazing array of plants that he bought back to Britain. And the entire World Garden team will be adorned as various plant hunters. They’ll be free food from the garden to sample, a hog roast and labyrinth. To miss it would be horticultural sacrilege!
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