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What are Some Blue Flowers?

Mary McMahon
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Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 16,579
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A number of flowers, shrubs, and vines have blue blooms or bluish foliage. You can use blue flowers to create an entirely blue garden, which can be quite striking, or as blocks of accent color in a garden. When choosing blue flowers for your garden, you should go to see them in person, if possible, since shades of blue vary widely, and you may be surprised by the hues of some blooms. It is also a good idea to seek out plants which are hardy in your area of the world: Lily of the Nile, for example, is a lovely blue flower, but it needs warm weather to thrive.

A number of bulbs have blue blooms, or cultivars with blue blooms. Irises, hyacinths, Amaryllis, and bluebells are some examples of blue bulbs. It is also sometimes possible to find bluish-violet tulips, although truly blue tulips have yet to be bred. Some examples of annuals with blue flowers include: petunias, lobelias, Ageratum, Bachelor Buttons, Nigella, larkspur, blue-fringed daisies, cornflowers, lupins, Evolvulus, and Blue Poppies. Some of these plants come in a range of shades, so it is important to see out blue cultivars specifically. If you have a pond or pool, you can also use blue lotuses and various blue water lily cultivars.

The foundation of a garden is often its perennials, the plants which are present year-round. Blue annuals are quite diverse, including: Salvia, Campanula, Veronia, statice, delphiniums, violets, blue flax, Baptisia, Caryopteris, Russian sage, spiderwort, forget-me-nots, sea holly, Platycodon, leadwort, geraniums, asters, Amsonia, phlox, chicory, blue-eyed grass, and blue mistflowers. Some of these plants will behave as annuals, rather than perennials, in cooler climates where the winter weather may become too much.

Ground covers like blue star creeper, Ajuga, and periwinkle can provide a blanket of foliage and delicate blue, while vines such as clematis, wisteria, and blue morning glories can be trained on trellises and fences. Blue flowers also grow on shrubs such as lilacs, some hibiscus cultivars, Vitex, butterfly bushes, and hydrangeas.

All of these blue flowers have differing water, soil, and sun requirements. It is a good idea to group plants with similar requirements together, to promote healthy growth in the garden and to make garden maintenance easier. If you live in an extremely cold, hot, wet, or dry climate, you may have trouble growing some of these blue flowers, although most of them will thrive in temperate climates.

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Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a HomeQuestionsAnswered researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By amysamp — On Oct 26, 2011

@animegal - I married in September on the coast and I thought blue and white flowers would be gorgeous in that setting and during that time of year.

My friend's mom did the flowers and she used hydrangeas and to be honest I do not even remember what the white flowers were. I loved the arrangements. They just seemed right at home with the coastal theme. I wish I could post a picture!

And thank you @cloudel for the tips about planting hydrangeas, now that we have settled into our house, I think I am ready to tackle the outdoors and what better to plant than the flowers from my wedding!

I am not sure about my soil's pH level but I will be looking into it, although I had blue hydrangeas at my wedding, I think for my outdoor area, I will tinker with the soil to grow pink hydrangeas.

By orangey03 — On Oct 25, 2011

I adore the look of blue asters. There's something really appealing and unusual about blue flowers. I grow blue asters in my daisy garden, where I mix them with Shasta daisies and yellow chrysanthemums.

The asters have a yellow center and thin, blue petals sticking out from it in a circle. At two feet tall, they are slightly shorter than the white Shasta daisies. The yellow chrysanthemums complement the yellow centers of the daisies, and their short height adds another level to the garden.

Blue asters bloom from summer all the way to fall. Deer are uninterested in eating them, so they provide a long, beautiful display of color.

By cloudel — On Oct 25, 2011

@wavy58 – Hydrangeas are unique because you can actually alter their color by changing the pH of the soil. I bought a pink hydrangea bush, but I changed its blooms to blue by lowering the pH.

It's easier to do this if you grow them in containers, because you have more control over the soil and mulch that surrounds the bush. Whichever way you decide to do this, you need to lower your soil's pH by adding compost.

First, water the area really well. Then, add the compost. Next, add aluminum sulfate to the soil. Dig a small trench around the base of the bush and fill it with the sulfate. Cover it and dampen the area.

Your blooms should change from pink to blue as the bush soaks up the nutrients from the soil. Like you, I prefer blue hydrangeas, so if I can't find them in stock, I use this method to make my own.

By wavy58 — On Oct 24, 2011

When I was young, I remember being amazed at the blue blooms on my grandmother's hydrangea bush. I had never seen truly blue blossoms before. I had only seen the purple ones that some people refer to as blue, so this intrigued me.

These bushes grew in the shade of her backyard, and they were huge. She had been cultivating them for many years, and they had flourished to become massive. Hundreds of tiny blue flowers huddled together to form one big blossom.

Does anyone know where I can find some true blue hydrangeas? I have only been able to find pink and purple ones around here, but I would love to own a blue one like my grandmother had.

By kylee07drg — On Oct 24, 2011

I love blue hyacinths! I discovered these flowers while shopping for tulip bulbs, and I decided they would make the perfect garden partner to tulips.

I planted both blue and pink hyacinths for variety. When they started to come up, they looked like pine cones attached to short, thick stalks. This pine cone shape is what grows to become clusters of flowers that cover the stalks.

The blue and pink hyacinths added beauty and a wonderful aroma to my spring flower garden. I think that the blue ones had a slightly stronger scent than the pink ones. Maybe their deeper hue held more fragrance.

By myharley — On Oct 23, 2011

After a long winter there is nothing like the first blooming spring flowers that let you know winter is finally over.

I have a large area of blue delphinium flowers planted at the edge of my yard. When we sit on our deck, it overlooks these magnificent flowers.

They grow 4-5 feet tall and come back every year looking more beautiful than the year before. There are a few white and pink delphinium mixed in, but most of them are shades of blue and purple.

A little bit later in the season I have two blue clematis that vine up my deck. Most of my flowers are perennials so I don't have to plant them every year.

I have them planted in different spots around my yard so something is always in full bloom.

By John57 — On Oct 23, 2011

@andee - I have planted several blue campanula that have done well in the shade. They seem to grow best in partial shade as they don't like the sun beating down on them.

They don't get very tall and make a great ground cover of blue flowers. There are many different varieties, and most of them are a blue/purple color.

These are perennials so will come back every year and also will spread but aren't too invasive. It can be hard to find blue flowers for the shade. It seems like most of them will have a purple look to them.

I like to plant blue flowers in with mixture of pinks and purples. It is easy to find flowers in these colors and there is no end to the combination of colors you can make.

By andee — On Oct 22, 2011

I love just about any color of flowers, but think that blue adds some a nice contrast to some of the other bright flowers in the garden.

One of my favorites that is so easy to maintain is a blue butterfly bush. This grows fast, does well in the sun and has tons of blooms on it.

After just one season I realize why they call it the butterfly bush, because the butterflies absolutely love it.

I also have some blue balloon flower planted in a circular garden I have in front of my house. These blend in well with some annual petunias and blue salvia that I have planted there too.

I have a shaded area where I want to plant some flowers and wondered if there were blue flowers that do well in the shade?

By Sara007 — On Oct 22, 2011

@animegal – I would contact a florist and ask what kinds of blue perennial flowers they usually stock. I personally like blue Iris flowers and blue bell flowers as they look gorgeous and aren't too expensive.

Another thing to consider is if you want the flowers to be naturally colored or if you would rather they be dye fed. Dye fed flowers can be made into pretty much any color you want. If you want really shockingly blue flowers, you could easily dye feed white roses, or lilies, or any of a dozen other flowers to get the correct shade of blue that you want. I think the big thing is when making your final choice is realizing that many naturally blue flowers are actually more purple in color than anything else.

By animegal — On Oct 21, 2011

Does anyone know of any really lovely blue wedding flowers?

My sister is getting married next year and she has started planning her wedding. While things aren't set in stone yet she really wants a blue flowers bouquet. As far as I know she is hoping that her wedding is done in white and blue, as her fiance's favorite color is blue.

Also, if you want to buy blue flowers, do you have to special order them far in advance? I am really not sure which flowers bloom when, I just know we are looking for a really pretty shade of dark blue.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

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