Digging deeperPlant Library

Blue Balloon Caryopteris flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Other Names:  Bluebeard, Blue Spirea, Blue Mist Shrub

Description:

An attractive rounded shrub with stunning blue flowers held over dark green leaves; foliage has fuzzy undersides and is fragrant when crushed; a true butterfly magnet for the garden

Ornamental Features

Blue Balloon 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 dark green foliage with silver undersides. The fuzzy oval leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Balloon Caryopteris is an open multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. 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 and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Blue Balloon Caryopteris is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Blue Balloon Caryopteris will grow to be about 30 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. 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 does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Blue Balloon Caryopteris makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. 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.