Lily of the Nile

Some Good Blues

For Blues, all shades, there are so many choices; there is even a blue parrot tulip. Other good blues include Balloon Flower, Cranesbill geranium, Nikko Blue Hydrangea, Queen Fabiola bulbs, Argapanthus Africanus (Lily of the Nile), Scabiosa, Larkspur and Delphinium (a few names are Galahad, Summer Skies, and Blue Bird.)

Butterfly Scabiosa comes in rose, pinks, white, lavender and blue, from 10 to 24 inches or more tall. There is also a deep burgundy "Chocolate Scabiosa". If allowed to go to seed, the pods on the blue and white scabiosa are a circular, alien-appearing but very attractive green which is great in arrangements But be sure to keep most of the spent flowerheads pinched, if you want a long bloom season.

Love in a Mist (left, height to 18") comes in white or blue, very dainty, feathery leaves. Does well in sun or part shade. Readily self-seeds. Interesting green and purple pods contain the seeds, and can be used in flower arrangements. Cupid's Dart (right, height 2') is another self-sowing blue with lovely silver, oval-shaped pods after blooming.

Here you see Campanula Glomerata, Blue Bells of Scotland, purple Plumed Meadow (Salvia) Sage, burgundy and white Dahlia, lavender-blooming, silver-leafed Lambs Ear, and lavender Petunias. Not yet blooming are Liatrus and pink Bridgette's Bloom, a 12" spikey and delicate flower.

Painted Daisies (great for a hot pink color) and most Irises in this bed have already bloomed. White Shasta Daisies, Black Knight Delphinium, and taller Cup and Saucer Bellflower provide a backdrop to the right.

When searching for good blues for your garden, the Campanula family is one of your best resources. The Bellflower comes in dainty dwarf varieites only 4" tall. But blue bells range in sizes including 10-12", 24", to the 36" Cup and Saucer Bellflower, and all the way to 6', although I have not yet seen a six footer myself. The smaller ones edge the first tier. Canterbury Bells, 24 to 36 inches, pink, purple and white. This one is actually purple, not blue.

Campanula Glomerata, 12 to 15 inches tall, dark purple to dark blue. The heads are thick and large, about 4 inches in diameter.

Victorian Sage, of the Salvia family, comes in many shades and varieties, from pink, a vibrant blue, to a lavender or a deep mulberry purple, close in color to the Himalayan Poppy shown on another page. You can see the purple sage by clicking the first picture above.

Then there's Batchelor Buttons, both the annual type and the perennial, Centaurea Montana. The polkadot variety of annual Batchelor Buttons has great pinks and purples included, and self sows each year.

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