Feeling blue

[MCD]

I like blue flowers, but in the 100s of perennials and shrubs in my garden, real blue is hard to find, and of course it's hard to find in orchids. This hibiscus/Rose of Sharon (cultivar unknown) by the front door is probably the bluest, but it depends on the year. The colour can vary from dark pink to purple to blue; the first blooms suggest that this is a blue season.

Early to bud out and bloom this year, and a lot of new growth. It's an older plant, and I don't know how many more years it has left. I've had it bud out as late as early August in the past; this is the earliest that I've seen flowers on it.

[Clawhammer]

Stunning color!

[Dorchid]

:

[WaterWitchin]

Now THAT is going on my need list!

[MCD]

As an update, the same blooms are not as blue and more purple today. Wonder if temperature can have an effect on the colour; it was cool overnight (13C/55F) but had been warm the past few weeks.

[WaterWitchin]

Temperature, perhaps. Or fade to more lavender color as the bloom ages?

[MCD]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Temperature, perhaps. Or fade to more lavender color as the bloom ages?

I don't think so, since the colour looks uniform between new opening blooms and older ones (note: each bloom only lasts a couple of days). Could also vary depending on the time of day or sun exposure. Also, ambient light can probably alter the perceived colour.

But regardless of the exact shade, it's still one of our favourites . Will be blooming non stop, right up until we get a hard freeze.

[WaterWitchin]

Yeah, I have a bunch of Rose of Sharon. They are a welcome bloom that starts on at the hottest part of our summer when everything else is gasping and crying for a drink. Pretty sure I’ve tracked down yours now or at least very similar. It’s a must have!

[Roberta]

Spectacular color!

For those of you that get cold winters, look for Himalayan blue poppies (Meconopsis betonicifolia and some of its relatives) I saw some at a botanic garden in Iceland and was totally blown away by the color. More of a turquoise blue. A color I had never seen in a flower. I can't grow them where I live, winters are too warm. (I'll take the temperate winters , though)

[estación seca]

A well-known gardener here grows Meconopsis as winter annuals. He sows the seeds in late summer in a pot, wets the soil, covers it with plastic and puts it outside in the heat for hot stratification. When temperatures cool they sprout. He pricks them out to larger pots, then later the garden bed.