September 9, 1998

When I picture a spring garden, I envision shades of pinks and soft yellows.   Summer gardens call to mind rich bright yellows and golds while fall images usually involve the colors of autumn leaves-- reds, golds, and browns. The past couple of weeks, however, have caused me to add another color to my mental pictures of late summer and fall.  That color is powder blue, the hue of the misty blossoms of Caryopteris.   These flowers are sky blue, not the rosy blue or reddish blue that many so-called "blue" perennials put forth.  For some reason, the flowers of this lovely plant have been especially beautiful to me this year.  Although it may be the work of El Niņo, I prefer to think that I am learning to appreciate better the quiet beauty of the uncommon garden flowers.

The common name for Caryopteris (care-ee-OP-ter-is) is Bluebeard, but it is sometimes called blue spirea and blue-mist shrub. The last two names can be helpful when trying to picture the flower.  Blue spirea is a good description because the flowers are somewhat similar to those of spirea, except for the color, of course. Blue-mist accurately describes the appearance of the shrub from a distance.  However, I haven't figured out how the name Bluebeard fits into the picture.

In warmer climates, Caryopteris will grow to be a five or six foot woody shrub, but in our area of northern zone 5, it is a tender shrub reaching less than half that size.  It behaves like an herbaceous perennial and dies back to the ground in winter.   It should not be cut back until early spring when new growth begins. Caryopteris prefers well drained soil and can withstand dry conditions making it a good resident in most sunny perennial gardens.

Several cultivars of Caryopteris are available in the trade today in various flower and foliage colors.  The flowers of C. 'Arthur Simmonds' are true blue and the leaves are silver green.  Another cultivar, C. 'Worcester Gold', sports bright gold foliage throughout the growing season and powder blue flowers in late summer. You may also run across 'Longwood Blue', 'Dark Knight', 'Blue Mist', 'Ferndown', 'Heavenly Blue', and 'Kew Blue'.

Carypoteris is one of the easiest perennials to grow. There are no serious disease or insect problems so it requires little attention except for the annual pruning back to live wood in early spring.  The rosy pink flowers of Sedum 'Brilliant' and the golden yellow blooms of Solidago 'Fireworks' are beautiful color companions for Caryopteris both in the garden and in cut flower bouquets.  Fall colors in shades of gold, pink, and rich red blend well with the blues of Caryopteris.   Planted where the suns shines for at least half the day, Caryopteris will complement most late-blooming perennials and ornamental grasses.