Overview:
Latin Name:
Common Name:
Blue Mist Shrub, BluebeardHardiness Zones:
Mature Size:
Bloom Period
July / AugustDescription:
Leaves: Short, narrow leaves that resemble a willow’s are usually a silvery-gray. Yellow and variegated varieties are also available.
Flowers: The flowers give Caryopteris it’s common name of Blue Mist. They are clustered in panicles above the foliage, as little feathery puffs. The flowers are generally some shade of blue or purple, although there is a new pink variety.
Suggested Varieties:
- Caryopteris x clandonensis - The straight species is one of the hardiest available
- Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Dark Knight' - Has the darkest blue flowers, but is a bit more temperamental.
- Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Sunshine Blue' - Deep blue flowers are offset by yellow foliage.
- Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Pink Chablis’ - A Proven Winners introduction with pink flowers.
Design Suggestions:
Caryopteris should be included in every butterfly garden.
Growing Tips:
Soil: Caryopteris like a neutral soil pH. Although they can tolerate moist soil, they prefer a well draining site. Once established, they don’t require any supplemental watering,
Planting: You can grow the species from seed and, in fact, you may eventually get some self-sown volunteers. You can also propagate by soft-wood cuttings, in late spring. However most Caryopteris are purchased as plants. After all, how may do you need? Plant in the ground at the same level or a little higher than it is in the container.
Keep new plants watered for their first year. They are not heavy feeders and some organic matter in the planting hole should be all the food they need.
Maintenance:
To keep the plant shaped and flowering, Caryopteris are cut down by at least half, in the early spring. I cut mine to about 18". As the plants age, you will get some dead wood in the center. Prune this out as needed.They are slow to leaf out in the spring, so don’t panic if yours looks like a dead twig. Be patient.
Caryopteris are drought tolerant and shouldn’t need supplemental watering, unless you are having a particularly dry season.
Side dressing with compost is preferred over fertilizing Caryopteris plants. Too much fertilizer makes for a leafy plant with less blooms.
Pests & Problems:
Caryopteris can be bothered by the 4-line plant bug in June, The foliage will get mottled, but it doesn’t harm the plant.More on adding blue flowers to your garden.
