Best blue flowering plant - Plants

Verdun

23/12/2012 at 18:20

I grow lots of blue flowered plants. What's your favourite? How about linum perenne to start? In summer, and grown next to santolina lemon fizz....yellow foliage....and behind a yellow osteospermum it is a real eye catcher all summer long.

artjak

23/12/2012 at 18:30

I agree; blue flax is stunning, the seeds for mine sort of fell into my pocket when I was visiting a large botanical garden. It just flowers for months in poor soil and is very undemanding.

Verdun

23/12/2012 at 19:36

Artjak, what a stroke of luck that was for you !,!!! Like that.

nutcutlet

23/12/2012 at 19:59

Ceratostigma wilmottianum, very blue and first choice for the hummmingbird hawkmoth when we get a summer.

artjak

23/12/2012 at 20:00

Verdun, I guess I was born lucky

artjak

23/12/2012 at 20:05

Nutcutlet, is this ceratostigma w. what is known as 'poor mans plumbago'? I have it in my garden, but it was given to me as a viable cutting about 10 years ago by a client as 'plumbago' but I was told by a neighbour that it was a 'fake' plumbago. Any info on that?

nutcutlet

23/12/2012 at 20:20

Might be artjak. I've heard all that genus referred to as plumbago. This one is shrubby. It sometimes dies back in a hard winter but isn't herbaceous like C. plumbaginoides. I also had C. griffithii , also shrubby but smaller, that couldn't do the winters.

FloBear

23/12/2012 at 20:30

Nutcutlet, I also have c. wilmotty and love it. Most years it has beautiful red autumn leaves as well as the intense blue flowers. I've always understood an alternative name for it to be hardy plumbago, artjak.

Blue flax sounds worth looking into. I hope chickens don't eat it!

nutcutlet

23/12/2012 at 20:50

FloSilverFairy, have you ever managed to propagate it? I've failed to get seed, early and late cuttings Have all died. Any suggestions?

FloBear

23/12/2012 at 20:55

Nutcutlet, I occasionally find self-sown seedlings and have managed to grow one on. The trouble is I'm not the most attentive of gardeners and would have more success with seedlings and maybe cuttings if I were!

Verdun

23/12/2012 at 21:00

Propagate wilmottianum in spring by pulling off basal growths. Works for me. Griffithi is better....glossier leaves but prob more tender. A penstemon, is it Joyce grenfell? Has wonderful true blue flowers too. Flosilverfairy, blue flax is about 30 cm tall, glaucous green foliage and delicate looking... Not sure if chickens will eat it. Can't see why they should though.

nutcutlet

23/12/2012 at 21:47

Thanks Verdun, I'll give it a try. griffithii was very easy to propagate, lovely rooted cuttings by the end of summer. Dead sticks by spring.

nutcutlet

23/12/2012 at 21:48

FloSilver Fairy, maybe I leave it too late before I look for the seeds and it would be overwealmed by other stuff if it seeded ehere it is.

Busy-Lizzie

23/12/2012 at 22:39

I love blue delphiniums, geraniums, forget me nots and my shrub ceanothus "Bleu de Versailles. I once has a beautiful blue penstemon, but I've forgotton it's name and it died in the winter.

Lyn

24/12/2012 at 15:43

I love penstemon and I think this is a superb collection:

http://www.hayloft-plants.co.uk/Penstemon/Blue-Collection/prod7560.html

Bagz

24/12/2012 at 15:54

http://s4.gardenersworld.com/uploads/images/original/17124.jpg?width=383&height=350&mode=max

Growing some of these Willow Gentian from seed at the moment, hoping to brighten up the shaded areas in my garden ........

Gardengirl..

01/01/2013 at 18:16

Lyn wrote (see)

I love penstemon and I think this is a superb collection:

http://www.hayloft-plants.co.uk/Penstemon/Blue-Collection/prod7560.html

I got a collection of penstemon from there - not flowered yet but good looking plants think blue/ purple colour.

Going to be growing blue sweet peas and cornflower and prob lots of other blue flowers I do like the colour blue

Verdun

01/01/2013 at 19:49

That elusive true blue in penstemons is very hard to get. Only in Joyce Grenfell have I found it.....trouble is that its quite a weak grower and rarely makes a proper perennial. The variety called True Blue is really a purplish colour like so many penstemon blues. When creating this thread I referred to santolina lemon fizz. Anyone growing that too? For me it seems hardy. It really is a lovely butter yellow mound of foliage.

TinaTurner

01/01/2013 at 20:32

Verdun, I have read so much about what you grow in your garden which sounds wonderful and would love to see some photos. It is hard at times to visualise what someone is describing. Hope you can oblige. Look forward to seeing them.

Verdun

01/01/2013 at 21:16

It's not really my way to "show off" my garden...Everything is relative. I grow what I like to grow, like to associate plants and probably a bit of a perfectionist at times but many do compliment my garden so,I guess it ain't too bad. I will post a photo or two Rambling Rose but what sort of garden do you have? There you go, what sort of garden do others on this forum have.?