Looking for the bluest blue flowers, still

Borage is a beautiful blue-flowered plant. Sort of a herb type.

Here is the Borage flower. I took this last summer.

Sweet photo! I just planted borage in my greenhouse. I used to grow it in my garden years ago, but dont remember it having a blue flower. But the seeds I just planted showed the flowers to be blue.

Just looked at the photo again. There ain't nothin' sweet about that flower, very alien looking! ;)

I just direct sow in the soil. This is not a fussy plant. Could probally grow between the cracks in the sidewalk. :)

Just wait until yours grows. They are sweet & fuzzy...not aliens


Here is the back side of the flowers in a large cluster. If you like blue...this one is for you!

Ok, just sweet and fuzzy! The macro photography sometimes makes the tiniest blossom seem monstrous, when you see all the little spikes, etc. Yes, I do believe I am going to love it!

Here is an Iris that is pretty enough to cry over. We were at a public park...leaving for the day...

I begged my DH to stop the car, ran down the steps and snapped the pic. This baby is so blue...that...that...that...

Well, you'll just have to see for yourself. LOL

April

Thank your DH for stopping the car! WOW! That is one beautiful blue iris!

This message was edited May 6, 2009 9:42 PM

What a treasure! I so miss the iris in the South. Does anyone have tips for keeping them healthy in the great northwet?

Good drainage and I give mine a dose of bone meal twice a year.

yes - give each one their own umbrella.

plant on a slope; soil with excellent drainage - do not cover the rhizome, and NO BARK!
Do not forget slug patrol.
They take up a lot of room, & have to be divided every couple years, but the range of blue to purple is unmatched.

And Borage flowers are very blue - freeze the flowers in ice cubes for summertime.

Aunt_A - that's an awesome blue!! Kudos to your DH for stopping the car.

How about Blue Light Clematis?

Irwells..that is beautiful!

Has been very easy to grow for me, but probably more purple than blue

Either way it is a beautiful, healthy clematis

Just checked out the earthnotes website and it is very informative. I'm new to gardening and appreciate info like that! Thanks Neo!

Looks like I need Borage seeds.....

Good info on the iris, thanks! I would never of thought to put borage flowers in ice cubes. Very clever.

I have looked over time for a blue clematis. If I remember, there is one called Will Goodwin that was supposedly blue, but ended up purple. Sometimes the nurseries bump the color on their websites to make it more desirable, but in the end it is disappointing.

http://www.annetbaumphotos.com/Blue_Clematis_Med.jpg
This is a photographers site, so you can't trust the color

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1156
This is probably accurate because I found it on two different websites, one a nursery, the other a photographer, and the color was consistently a wonderful blue.

http://www.prideofplaceplants.com/vines/clematis_eyres_gift.html
This would disappoint. See how blue the leaves are? The blues were pumped up in photoshop.

http://www.jacksonsnurseries.co.uk/plantcard/ClematisZobluepiBluePirouette/400.aspx
This would also have more purple than the photo, which has been manipulated.

silverstarvinery has pretty accurate photos of her clems. Or at least my clems turn out the same colour as what she has for examples.

blue is an elusive colour, and imho, under-represented in the world of flowers.
The Gentians, Delphiniums, Meconopsis, Iris seem to have the greater assortment of "truer" blues. I've always been curious as to why.

Touched-up photos make me grumpy. I check out the leaf colour as you have pointed out, Neo.

My strongest garden addiction is daylilies, and I am playing with hybridizing my own as well as growing those on the market. I am involved with an e-mail robin that includes the majority of the "big name" hybridizers in daylilies, and one of the most sought after goals of several of them is to hybridize a true "blue" daylily. There are several that have been working on it for years, and supposedly some are close, but no one has achieved it yet. Apparently blue is elusive in most flowers for some reason.

Katye, I am with you about being peeved with touched up photos! Nothing worse than being disapointed with a purchase because someone "enhanced" the photo to make it more desirable.

No touch up on this Lithodora..They are just starting to bloom. They are a nice groundcover next to the rockery in my pond. :)

Nice! I may have lost mine due to the harsh winter, or maybe they are hiding behind a larger plant and haven't bloomed yet.

Thanks, all. I've enjoyed all the other blue flowers that have been posted. I think a true blue garden would be lovely.

No touch-up on that Iris, either. It was almost dusk, so the rest of the pic is dark. You can see how green the stem of the Iris is...just a little is peeking out under the flower.

I took a pic w/ flash also, but the flash changed the color to purple and it was totally NOT purple.

:-)

April

These baby blue eyes are very sweet.

Aaah, ain't they sweet. You know what I saw first? The perfect rocks with NO debris on them.
Did you use a leaf blower before you took the picture, or hand dust each one for the best shot?!!!

:) :) :) :)

What a great idea to collect all the blue flowers in one thread.

Today in Alabama the spiderworts - tradescantia - are blooming. They come in several shades of blue and lavender and white as well - sometimes with a thin edge around the petals.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/485/

My neighbor just has the tiniest space to garden out side his garden apartment. He had a clump of spiderworts with daisies. A very nice spring statement.

neo..no leaf blowers for me. Can't stand the noise! Leaves do not seem to be a problem in this area for some reason. My back neighbors just put in 8 maple trees. I think I may have a leaf problem in the fall!! Dread! Have to get a net for my pond I think!

Here is another dutch iris. BLUE!

Agapanthus, Blue Cloud...is a great blue...also is a hardier type for the northwest. just love it!

Is this too lavender?

Aguane.. I like it. Blue in my book


This is called Black Beauty Delphinum. Looks more blue with some purple streaks. Should be called Blue beauty!

I am a real fan of blue booms, so have lots of hardy geraniums in the blue colours and then here's a new one .... Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Victoria'

did you know bees are attracted to the colour blue first? interesting bit of trivia

... also some of the Aubrietas like Royal Blue and Blue Cascade are stars in my rock garden

I am also a lover of blue! Here is a photo of my personal favorite, Plumago. Which is also an American native plant. There is a great article here about it in DavesGarden.
The Tiger Swallowtails love it too! They come to visit, wander off, don't see blue anywhere else, and come back. Over and over, it's fun to watch! This isn't the clearest photo, but it is the most recent.

This photo is from last year, but clearer.