Looking for the bluest blue flowers, still

I remember asking this last year, and got some great plants that hopefully have survived the winter, like my exquisite blue woodland poppy. My Tweedia looks dead at this point, but I did save the seeds. I have several clumps of Salvia Patens and they are my favs. Hopefully they made the hard freezes.

Here is a list of plants that I am thinking about and wonder if anyone has experience with them, and just how blue they really are. I do not want purple blues, but more true blues, sky blues, etc. My bright blue bachelor buttons did not appear last year, only some pink and light blue, was wondering if the seeds don't stay true? Also throw out any other great killer blues you know of.

ANCHUSA Dropmore
ASTER Bluebird
CAMPANULA Blue Clips
CAMPANULA persicifolia New Giant
CENTAUREA montana Gold Bullion
DELPHINIUM grandiflorum Blue Butterfly
ECHINOPS Platinum Blue
PLATYCODON Mariesii
SAMBUCUS racemosa Sutherland Gold
VERONICA Darwin's Blue
VERONICA Goodness Grows
VERONICA Teucrium Crater Lake Blue
VERONICA teucrium Royal Blue
agnus-castus ABBEVILLE BLUE

Neofarmer,

Don't have a lot of true blue in my garden, but I have grown Delphinium Blue Butterfly, and you would be thrilled with that. I have a couple (literally) spare seeds of Salvia Patens Cambridge Blue if you don't think that yours survived..would be happy to share if you want to give them a try. I also have the standard Centaurea montana and it is definitely blue and vigorous (and I can share some if you would like!) As an annual, I do both lobelia Cambridge Blue that is a very nice sky blue, and trailing Blue Pimpernell. Other than that, my stuff tends to edge towards the purplish side.

Thanks Rarejem! I actually managed to save a few seeds from my Cambridge Blue as well, but just hate to start all over again. I just did an image search and it looks the the standard Centaurea Montana is bluer than the Gold Bullion, but that chartreuse foliage is so inviting. Haven't ever planted the Blue Pimpernel, Anagallis monelli, but it looks perfect!
This one looks great too, A. arvensis ssp. foemina. Thanks for the tips!

Neofarmer,
I was pretty happy with this blue lobelia.... Its my fav of the lobelia colors. No seeds yet.

Heavenly blue morning glories. You don't get anymore blue than this beauty.
Charlene

Thanks Aguane, I was forgetting about the Lobelias!

Oh, Charlene, those morning glories are intoxicating! I'll have to get some for sure.

I love my Nikko Blue Hydrangea.

Boy, Charlene - I'm not a huge Morning Glory fan, but that just about popped my eyes out. It's truly worth taking a look.

Have you seen this book? 'The Book of Blue Flowers'. I just picked up a used copy for almost nothing on Amazon.
http://tinyurl.com/cnqoaq

What about Catananche caerulea? That's a pretty blue.

I'd agree about the MG. I had a gorgeous dark blue morning glory last year-one of the prettiest blues I've seen, but I don't know what it was. I think the Ipomoea Nil type has good blues, too...

Salvia Guaranitica Black and Blue is gorgeous, but a little bit tender for me-jury's still out on whether mine died over the winter, but it hadn't been in the ground long, either.

For spring, Anenome blanda is a pretty blue, not sure if it's a little toward the purple for you, though.

Do you like Aquilegia? There are some really nice blues in Columbines-Aquilegia caerulea, Aquilegia alpina, and on....

My dwarf platycodon is a very nice blue-but platycodons put down taproots and do not like to be moved, so make sure it's where you want it when you plant it. It's also late to come up in the spring.

Do you like irises? There's lots of blue irises in all the varieties-I wouldn't even begin to want to list them.

Agastache 'Blue Fortune'?

Veronica 'Georgia Blue' is a lovely blue, too. I just got Crater Lake Blue, but it hasn't bloomed yet.
Veronica "Royal Candles' is very blue for me.
Hyssop officianalis is blue, too. At least, I'm pretty sure it's a solid blue, not purply.
Caryopteris? Ceanothus?
What about Omphalodes cappadocia? There's several different ones.

(You might want to skip the anchusas, though-they're a class B invasive in Washington state, designated for control all over W Wa. http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weed_list/regions/region5.htm)

Well, that's all that's occurring off the top of my head-I'm not looking through the book right now...I feel like I'm forgotting something, but.....

Kathy, btw, that Nikko Blue start you gave me is doing great!

edited to add:

Oh, maybe this was it- Hepatica nobilis, tiny, but does have a nice blue, and it' s early...

This message was edited Apr 10, 2009 11:28 PM

I had been racking my brain for the name of my blue rock garden plant all night (I know almost all of my roses and daylilies by name--over 500 at this point, but just can't get the plants with only latin names to stick!) and I finally had to seach google this am because it was driving me nuts!

Anyway, it is Lithodora diffusa and I love mine. I have Grace Ward and White Star, and they are both very blue and very pretty! Couldn't find any pics, but should have a photo op in a month or so :^). I agree with the Heavenly Blue morning glory as well, they are gorgeous!

Corydalis 'Blue Heron' - a welcome spring blue for the woodland with good drainage and summer dryness.

Baptisia australis and Campanula lactiflora (I think). It does not spread.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nigra', named for its stunning black stems. This is the color is gets naturally in the garden with no ph amendments to the soil.

An old blue lacecap hydrangea with the leaves of oakleaf hydrangea 'little honey'.

A blue lupine and some tall blue bearded iris.

Part of the hydrangea border in high summer. It's really hard to beat hydrangeas for intense blue color.

Some blue pulmonarias in april.

Gee, Pix, you could write your own book of blue flowers- very nice :)

This is a shrubby clematis, the name of which escapes me at the moment. But it is a very intense shade of blue.
You've opened a can of worms! I love blue flowers, too!

Well, maybe a picture book. I have a lot of blue flowers.

Okay, last one is Aconitum 'stainless steel', I think. Although this looks a little more blue than Stainless steel so I may not have that right.

I had NO idea there were so many blue flowers. I think it's God's way of giving us peace when the world around us has gone totally bonkers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys are amazing! I'd love to chat but it's my birthday!
55! I'm a senior at Ross and can shop for 10% off on Tuesdays! ;)

I am running out to pick up my son from the ferry and he is going to help me finally get the roof on my greenhouse. Yea!

I'll come back and post later, but thanks! I am already seeing myself
sitting in my blue garden.

Oh my so many blue flowers - I had no idea! Blue is my very favorite color. I will not go to the nursery I will not go to the nursery I will not go to the nursery. If my car steers itself toward the nursery all by itself is it really my fault?

Happy Birthday neofarmer!

Chinese plumbago.

Happy Birthday Neo!

Judi, no, it's never your fault if the car seems to mysteriously find its way toward the nursery...lol....

These anemone are about as blue as you can get.

Happy B-Day neo. You are so young!^_^

Lovely blues. Everything in my house is blue (that's what my DH says).

Pixy, what it the name of the blue paint you use on your furniture. I'm thinging of painting my arbor, obelisk, gate and some other things and I want that really neat bright blue.

Sue - so glad you're liking the Nikko Blue. It's the most no mess, no fuss plant.

Willow, which furniture is that?

Happy Birthday, Neo. Yay, for the son helping with the roof.

Happy belated birthday Neofarmer!

Pix, in the background of the last picture you posted there is a blue chair.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' is very blue. When not in bloom it has beautiful leaves.

OOH, Well, that chair is actually plastic. Sorry about that.

When I looked back I thought it might be plastic. Darn LOL

Looking through last summers photo's. Found this delphinium that
was blue. Sadly ,I can't think of the name...

Another delphinum with no name...

I had to post this here. This is the bluest primula I've ever seen. I got this at Heidi's place last year and it's blooming even better this year!

Pixy..that is stunning!

Corydalis China blue