Monday, April 10, 2023

Brilliant Blues .. Voluptuous Summer Perennial Plants


Trachelium caeruleum was a voluptuous, prize perennial in my garden.
Perhaps a tender perennial or an annual in yours?

I so look forward to summer's panoply of blooms. Trachelium, aka Blue throatwort flowerheads are abundant and incredibly billowy; reaching 5 feet tall with a branching habit.
The second brilliant show of the season.


Trachelium partners with Crocosmia 'Solfatare' .. established in two separate areas now.
The hue of C. 'Solfatare' is quite different than in earlier photos. Year to year and throughout the day, the light in the garden shifts from the cool, early morning to clear, sunny skies by mid-day. The garden itself goes through an artistic metamorphosis.

Content and Photos © Alice Joyce

Another stunner from Proven Winners: Hibiscus 'Blue Chiffon' .. the bloom is reason enough to invite friends over to sip a glass of chilled herbal tea while the plant preens.

Two 'Blue Chiffon' plants were sent to to trial in 2009, and although they were quite small, both bloomed the first year. I swooned!
Flower color goes through interesting changes on cooler days to hot spells, and from when the flower opens to when it fades.
I've had to transplant both specimens, as the sun pattern has changed with the growth of my neighbor's huge Deodar cedar tree, spreading ever wider and higher over my plantings.

Still...there's nothing quite like the sight of blue in the garden during overcast early morning hours or in the softest light bathing the space at dusk.
These are the best times to photograph the summer's most beguiling blooms.

12 comments:

  1. Your Trachelium look like delicate puffs of smoke and you Blue Chiffon look just as dainty. I have one "blue" hibiscus but is a very faint blue. Barely noticeable. Nothing like what you have.

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  2. Gorgeous blue blooms! Funny enough, we were just talking about how lovely blue flowers are yesterday whilst admiring some buddleias in bloom :)

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  3. Blue is so beautiful in the garden. I don't think I have enough blue in the garden.

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  4. Wow Alice those are really wonderful. I always love blue flowers, but they seem to be elusive in hotter climes. Do you know why? The only common blue we have here is Duranta erecta, Clitoria ternatea, but it's a vine. That Hibiscus is so beautiful, i am sure it can be acclimatized here, as hibiscus can be grown anywhere. Is it a new hybrid? thanks.

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  5. Delighted to share these blue beauties with all. Thanks Bom, Mark and Gaz, Sage Butterfly for stopping by.

    Andrea,
    the hibiscus is a new variety. Maybe you can locate one?

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  6. Ooh I love the Trachelium. I don't think I've seen that before - beautiful!

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  7. Lovely blooms, Alice! I've never seen a yellow crocosmia, just red and orange. Beautiful!

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  8. Oh, I love that periwinkle blue color! Gorgeous! The Blue Chiffon would be a lovely hair accessory.

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  9. I just love blue flowers, they contrast so well with other colours. My fave is Agapapanthus, probably cause I don't have it anymore, it was killed in last Winter's hard frosts.

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  10. Jeg kom lige forbi din blog. Hvor har du en smuk forside.
    Den blå blomst er bare skøn.
    Tak for kigget.

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  11. Kwiaty w niebieskim kolorze należą do moich ulubionych. Śliczny jest ten z pierwszego zdjęcia. Hibiskusy jeszcze u nas nie kwitną,ale niebieskiego i tak nie mam. śliczny. Pozdrawiam

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  12. That is a flower of such beauty! I love the any Hibiscus but this blue one you shared takes the cake by far!

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