Caryopteris, Bluebeard, Blue Mist Spirea 'Summer Sorbet'

I can't tell you how happy I am with this plant in a tough spot in dry sandy Rio Rancho NM. It gets a bit of water regularly when I rins...Read Moree out my birdbath but no special watering or soil improvement. As a one-year-old it sailed through our 100-year-drought last summer.

It is now three years old and grows about half as high as the standard Caryopteris. It's wider than it is tall. It's bright yellow color in early spring does the same job as daffodils and forsythia. I have it planted with a standard Caryopteris, two kinds of artemisias and some native grasses. It is the one plant everyone comments on.

Incidentally, I think caryopteris is a great shrub around bird baths and feeders. When the hawk comes, the little birds just drop down into the thick caryopteris foliage. The hawk hops around, screeching, flapping and diving into the bushes but he can't get the birds.

This is the first year for this plant in our gardens. It has performed well even with the drought we've experienced this year. Beautiful ...Read Morevariegation all summer with long blooming period from August through October!

One of the most beautiful things in my garden!! It has contrasting yellow & green leaves which already make it georgeous, but just above ...Read Moreeach set of leaves is a twirl of light purple/blue flowers. I love it & have thought about getting a few more. I give it a really good watering once a week & it has been blooming profusly for the past 2 weeks or so. The bees love it, so I'm still trying to get a good picture of it. Everyone that sees it compliments me on it!!!

Reported to be the best of the variegated types, being more stable and robust.