Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Bluebeard, Blue Spirea, Blue Mist Shrub

Description:

Light, airy shrub with purple-blue flowers held over gold leaves; foliage has fuzzy undersides and is fragrant when crushed; a true butterfly magnet for the garden

Ornamental Features

Sunshine Blue Caryopteris features dainty cymes of blue flowers along the branches from late summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive gold deciduous foliage. The fuzzy oval leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Sunshine Blue Caryopteris is an open multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Sunshine Blue Caryopteris is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Sunshine Blue Caryopteris will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Sunshine Blue Caryopteris makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

Note:

Cut back to about one foot in late winter or early spring.