Caryopteris

Caryopteris 'Grand Bleu'

• Common name: blue mist shrub, blue beard or blue spirea.
• Botanical name: Caryopteris clandonensis
• What it is: A late-blooming small flowering shrub with silvery foliage and wispy blue flower clusters from late August into October.
• Size: Typically 3 to 4 feet tall and wide with an annual trim.
• Where to use: Best in full sun. Makes a good southern or western foundation shrub and also works well in border gardens with sun-loving perennials. Avoid low-lying frost pockets because caryopteris doesn’t like unusually cold winters. Also prone to rotting in wet spots, so plant in loose, well drained soil.
• Care: Cut back by about half in March before new growth begins. Remove any dead wood. Once established, these are very drought-tolerant, so watering is needed only in exceptionally dry spells. Fertilizer also usually not needed, especially if you’re using organic mulch. Plants often seed themselves, so yank out any young ones you don’t want.
• Great partner: Backdrop with tall, late-blooming heliopsis such as ‘Summer Sun’ or with yellow or golden annual or perennial sunflowers.