Subject: Garden Blues-The colour of...

From: woodrow dumas <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 Apr 1995 10:54:53 GMT

I would like to put together a garden with nothing but blue. Perhaps
indigo and violet as well. Kind of a -BIV- garden. I live in zone
6 near Eugene Oregon. Any interesting tips for this? I am especially
fond of a geranium called -johnson's blue- but have not been able
to find it at a reasonable price. $7.98 per plant is not reasonable! 
What good is a garden if you can't get the blues?  Would love any 
advice anyone can offer.

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From: [email-masked] (Boyd Zenner)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 02:58:57 GMT

> What good is a garden if you can't get the blues?  Would love any 
The following come to mind:
Siberian irises "Super Ego" and "Caesar's Brother"
Clematis "The President," "Malincorne," "Jackmanii"
Rocky Mountain Columbine (aquilegia alpina)
Nigella (an annual also called Love-in-a-Mist)
Borage (has small flowers of an astounding blue)
Plumbago (also called Leadwort--a ground cover)
The old rose "Reine des Violettes"
Delphiniums (and their annual cousins, larkspur)
Mertensia (also called Virginia bluebells--a spring wildflower)
Lavender
Salvia farinacea
Platycodon (also called Balloon Flower--a perennial)
Heliotrope "Marine"
"Heavenly Blue" morning glories
Hydrangeas
Linum (flax)
For blue leaves: rue, hosta sieboldiana

There are, of course, zillions more.

Boyd

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From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 5 Apr 1995 14:16:32 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> CLNichols,
[email-masked] writes:
><I would like to put together a garden with nothing but blue. Perhaps

Gentians pretty much define blue but most are hard to grow.  However,
Gentiana septemfida is pretty easy and very pretty.  

Also other campanulas, especially C. carpatica 'Blue Clips' (long
blooming, about 8") and C. perscifolia (sp?).  

Many veronicas; 'Crater Lake' does bloom only briefly but is the most
gorgeous shade of blue (and, note to CLNichols, cut it back hard after it
blooms; it'll be fine and no longer messy-looking); a longer blooming
veronica is 'Sunny Border Blue', 3', July-Aug, dark, sort of navy blue;
named Perennial Plant of the Year a couple of years ago); a *wonderful*
creeping veronica is V. pectinosa (spring, short bloom period but nice
fuzzy foliage effect).  

Others:  Clematis alpina (which I grow scrambling over a wall rather than
climbing up anything), both perennial (late blooming, tallish) and annual
(short, continuously blooming) lobelia.  

Another short annual is the very interesting flowers of Torenia.  Going
toward the purples, I very much enjoyed the continuous-blooming
perennial-but-tender Asarina vine I bought last year.   

My personal favorite siberian iris is 'Steve' (two shades of blue) and
toward the purples, 'Silver Edge', and I just ordered another blue one,
'Orville Fay'.  

Balloon flower, previously mentioned, is a great blue, and there's a
relatively new balloon flower named 'Sentimental Blue' which for me last
year (I just bought it) was in bloom all summer, which normal balloon
flower isn't.  The new one is also very short (8-10").

As you can probably tell, I'm a blue freak too.  Along with the ones
already named, you'll find lots of blues in the campanula, veronica, and
gentian families

																					-Sue Sanders

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From: [email-masked] (BopShopTom)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 20:31:56 -0400

How about Ageratum for a nice blue?

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From: "t.r." <[email-masked]>
Date: 4 Apr 1995 05:59:03 GMT

woodrow dumas <[email-masked]> wrote:
> 6 near Eugene Oregon.

Blues (and some purples) are my favorites as well.
I am in zone 8, Seattle area. Here are a few of my faves
which might work for you too:

Lithodora (sprawling ground cover, good for rockery
area especially), small bright blue flowers

In the warmest part of summer -- try browallia "Blue
Bells" or "Marine Bells" (violet-blue star-shaped flowers)

Anemone blanda (bulbs -- a few I planted in fall are up now,
purple-blue)

Gentian angustifolia -- which I am trying to germinate
now (though I understand it's VERY difficult)

Herbs -- rosemary, hyssop, salvias besides the one another post'er
mentions (salvia chamaedrys has silvery leaves & startling
blue flowers)

Hebe "Autumn Queen" is a nice shrub just brimming with
violet flower spikes in mid-summer through fall.

Good luck! t.r.

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From: [email-masked] (Louise C. Putnam-Stoner)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 04:05:51 GMT

Already mentioned before, but my vote is for Siberian Iris
Caesars Brother... We have an area about 10' x 10' filled with
them; when it blooms I can barely stand to leave home. These
are from 6 plants ordered from White Flower Farm 9 years ago,
moved twice (always leaving some behind for the next occupants
to enjoy), and recently self-seeding!  Veronica, nepeta,
scabiosa (?), salvia.  Thanks for the question, I've noted the
great responses.

Louise.

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From: [email-masked] (Boyd Zenner)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 02:58:57 GMT

Boyd

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From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 5 Apr 1995 14:16:32 GMT

-Sue Sanders

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From: [email-masked] (BopShopTom)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 20:31:56 -0400

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From: "t.r." <[email-masked]>
Date: 4 Apr 1995 05:59:03 GMT

Good luck! t.r.

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From: [email-masked] (Louise C. Putnam-Stoner)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 04:05:51 GMT

Louise.

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From: [email-masked] (Boyd Zenner)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 02:58:57 GMT

Boyd

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From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 5 Apr 1995 14:16:32 GMT

-Sue Sanders

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From: [email-masked] (BopShopTom)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 20:31:56 -0400

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From: "t.r." <[email-masked]>
Date: 4 Apr 1995 05:59:03 GMT

Good luck! t.r.

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From: [email-masked] (Louise C. Putnam-Stoner)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 04:05:51 GMT

Louise.

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From: [email-masked] (CLNichols)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 00:44:14 -0400

Woodrow wrote:

>What good is a garden if you can't get the blues?  Would love any 

Bluestone Perennials has Geranium Johnson's Blue for 3 plants for $6.75. 
1-800-852-5343.  I too am fond of blue and like Johnson's Blue.  I mixed
that with Campanula Rotundifolia (delightful plant with small blue bells
for the front or rock garden),  a blue columbine, and Salvia East
Friesland.  I tried Veronica Crater Lake Blue which I found to have a
short blooming period and looked very scraggly after that.  Perhaps it was
just young (second growing season) but it wasn't wonderful enough when in
bloom to justify it's later scraggly period. Or perhaps they didn't have
enough sun

I find that blues are wonderful, but even more so when set off by
something not blue.  I have included pale yellow coreopsis moonbeam, white
echinacea, pink echinacea, and foxglove.  The blues seem to allow other
colors to blend well.

I'm now going to try Japanese Iris.  I just can't resist those blues! 
Right now I have window boxes full of blue, dark blue, and purple and
white pansies.  Marvelous!

Cindy
Indanapolis, zone 5

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From: Don Martinson <[email-masked]>
Date: 7 Apr 1995 18:53:39 GMT

woodrow dumas <[email-masked]> wrote:
>
> I would like to put together a garden with nothing but blue.
-snip-

One of my favorite blues is the alkanet or bugloss, Anchusa azurea.
It is a bit on the coarse side and looks best if staked, but IMO, the
electric blue flowers are well worth it.  Here in Wisconsin, it is
a short lived perennial, but seems to reseed a bit, but not excessively.

Don Martinson
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Eileen Kupstas)
Date: 8 Apr 1995 10:39:13 -0400

A blue annual that I am trying this year is Wahlenbergia. (Seeds 
available from Thompson and Morgan; I've not seen it anywhere else). 
It is supposed to have light blue flowers up to 1 inch across. My
plants are only 6 weeks old, so no bloom yet. It has fuzzy 1 inch
leaves, a trailing habit (though the description says about 14 inches
high..) I'm combining it with various tall campanulas in blue and white,
sort of to fill in until the campanulas take over.

Another experiment this year is Commelina dianthifolia. (Seeds from
Thompson and Morgan; Van Bourgidien (SP?) offers Commelina tuberosa
as tubers -- the pictures of these two look very similar.) It is a
"grassy" looking plant with smallish (up to about 1/2 inch) intense
blue flowers. I started it in January from seed and have now seen a
few blooms. It is supposed to "cover itself in blooms all summer" (or
some such), says the catalog... The blue is beautiful.. Height
supposed to be about 12 inches or so, but mine are still quite small.
This is a perenniel that is hardy to some middling zone (6?); other
wise the tubers can be dug and stored.

Does anyone have experience with these? Both were very easy to start
from seed, but I can't tell you much about habits and the
truth-in-advertising of the perfromance claims, yet.

Eileen
-- 
Eileen Kupstas			    	  [email-masked]
Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill    Dept. of Computer Science
Sometimes I despair of ever meeting my own standards. -- de Vries

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From: [email-masked] (Allan Herle)
Date: 9 Apr 1995 00:56:23 GMT

TIGIBSON ([email-masked]) wrote:
: mystosis (forget-me-not) has a lovely blue flower.

: tigibson

I like blues too and have recently been looking into expanding my garden 
with some blues.  I have found a blue poppy, a blue cardinal flower, 
believe it or not, blue carpet bugle, all perinnals that do well 
insemi-shaded location.  Blue DEphhiums, especially the Pacific Giants 
are gorgeous, and I believe you can eben have a Blue clematis vine. For 
annaul colour try to find some blue petunia, I have found a nice royal 
blue petunia that I hopewill do well.  Good Luck with your blues!!!!--
 ....... [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Allan Herle)
Date: 9 Apr 1995 00:56:23 GMT

: tigibson

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From: [email-masked] (Allan Herle)
Date: 9 Apr 1995 00:56:23 GMT

: tigibson

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From: Diane Reynolds <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 10:07:39 -0700

How about corydalis "Blue Panda" [assume it's the trade name of C. 
cashmeriana (sp.?)] I have been looking for it and just saw some in bloom 
at the university where I work in Oregon. A call will be in to the 
gardening folks *today* :-)
Diane

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From: [email-masked] (Sharon L Hom)
Date: 9 Apr 1995 02:43:25 -0700

I don't know if it will grow in your area, but this winter I tried the new
blue Nemesia. Sorry, I don't know the variety.

I love Nemesia and think it should be used much more extensively. I use it
in place of snapdragons because it is not susceptible to rust. In the SF Bay
Area it is a winter annual.

--Sharon

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From: [email-masked] (David Dee)
Date: 10 Apr 1995 20:36:15 GMT

In article <Pine.SUN.3.91.950410100505.11676D-100000@minerva>, Diane

> gardening folks *today* :-)

I bought a Blue Panda last spring, but it just came into bloom this week.
It's the clearest, most vivid shade of blue!  I saw some in a Vancouver BC
garden shop a few weeks ago, and wish I'd gotten more.  It's hard to find
a blue flower that doesn't have a hint of lavender or violet.

Alexis

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From: [email-masked] (TIGIBSON)
Date: 6 Apr 1995 00:54:34 -0400

mystosis (forget-me-not) has a lovely blue flower.

tigibson

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 16 Apr 1995 02:04:24 GMT

There are finally some interesting blue roses on the
market!  Take a peek at Rec.garden.roses. I do not
know which ones are available for you over there.
Ask Brent Dickerson, he'll probably know.  They
even smell good.

Sandra
Stockholm, Sweden

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 16 Apr 1995 02:04:24 GMT

Sandra
Stockholm, Sweden

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From: Kenneth Nilsson <[email-masked]>
Date: 17 Apr 1995 15:06:01 GMT

Is blue a favourite color? To me too. What other blue flowers can you 
recommend? have you tried Meconopsis grandis?
Kenneth