Blue flowers in the garden
The blue flowerbed is cool and calm
Less is more with blue flowers
It is recommendable to keep the flower arrangements in the garden simple by limiting the number of flower colours. By choosing one hue and combining its various shades, tints and tones, you achieve a less is more effect. This can be a good beginner’s trick, as it avoids the complexity of too many colours. It is an easy way to obtain a sophisticated and subtle look.
Blue flowers are accentuated by yellow flowers
It can be very aesthetic to select only blue flowers for an entire flowerbed. The flowers can be different tones of blue, light, dark or cross over to violet. The effect will be calmness, even if you mix warm and cold hues. If the blue flowerbed becomes too dull, you can just add a few yellow flowers – as primary contrast yellow will make the blue stand out clearer.
Blue flowers generate variation in the garden
The blue flower bed is likely to be more varied in colour than a flowerbed with only yellow flowers. Pure yellow is lighter than pure blue or violet - consequently. The colour yellow quickly stops being yellow if mixed with other colours. An entirely yellow flowerbed is therefore likely to become too uniform.
Blue flowers in Ida’s Garden
The garden that Ida overtook was overgrown and filled with self-seeded perennials. This gave a rather messy, arbitrary impression – and the garden was in no way colour arranged. The garden plan suggests we plant many blue perennials to create an impression of calmness.
Fortunately there are already a lot of blue flowers in the garden:
Mountain Bluet
Mountain bluet, Mountain cornflower or Bachelor’s button (Centaurea montana) is a flower in the Asteraceae family. This herbaceous perennial cornflower has the most striking blue flowers that keep coming if they are cut back after flowering. Mountain bluet thrive in semi-shade and spread easily through self-seeding.
Mountain bluet - striking blue
Spring Crocus
Bright violet Crocus tommasinianus appear everywhere in the garden. The cute little blue plant spread easily by generating new little bulbs. It is recommendable to dig the clusters up after some years, divide and replant the bulbs.
Spring crocus - more violet than blue
European Columbine
European Columbine, Common Columbine or Granny's Nightcap (Aquilegia vulgaris), is a quite tall short-lived perennial flower that comes in many colours, often violet and striking blue. They self-seed and are found in both sunny and shady areas.
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European columbine comes in many different blue tones
Siberian Squill
...or is it Hyacinth? Over time the flowers of the Hyacinth become less dense and the flower looks more like Scilla sibirica. Siberian squill has bright blue or white flowers that can grow everywhere, for instance under a hedge. It quickly spreads by generating new bulbs and self-seeding.
Siberian squill - blue as the sky - grows under the beech hedge
Blue Geranium
Blue Geranium is the title of a Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie. These blue geraniums are excellent groundcover. It looks like the cultivar ‘Johnsons blue’ that reaches a height of 30 cm. Most geraniums are hardy perennials that thrive in full sun as well as shade. They are very easy to grow and will prevent all weeds in the area.
Geranium - excellent groundcover that flowers all summer
Periwinkle
A colour named after a lavender-blue flower, Vinca minor. Lesser periwinkle, Vinca minor, is an evergreen groundcover that blooms for a long time, even in mild winters. It is quite invasive and will cover a large area in a short while.
Lesser periwinkle - invasive groundcover - weeds will not stand a chance
Greater periwinkle, Vinca major, has larger leaves and flowers. It has the vining habit of vinca minor, but it is less invasive – at least in our garden.
Greater periwinkle
Lavenders
Lavandula angustifolia is a little evergreen (or “evergrey”) shrub with blue or violet flowers in June-August. The flowers have a powerful scent that are used in soap, lotions etc. The aromatic plant thrives in full sunlight and can go without water for a long time.
Lavender - scented blue
Cornflower
Like poppies, cornflowers (Centaura cyanus) have a tendency to grow in cornfields, hence the common name. The popular annual has many names, blue star, bachelor’s button, star thistle, etc. The Latin name (cyanus) refers to the brilliant blue colour. Like periwinkle, a blue colour has been named after the cornflower.
Cornflowers get very tall
Globe thistle
We have two tall globe thistles (Echinops) in the garden. The perennial has prickly leaves and round grey-blue blossoms. It thrives in the sun, but the round heads are also an attraction in the winter.
Globe thistle with bee
Starflower
Borage (Borago officinalis) is an annual herb that tastes like cucumber. They are mostly blue, but pink varieties can be found. Starflower oil is used as a GLA supplement.
Blue star
Flowerbed design and colour
Yellow flowers in the garden
Pink flowers in the garden
White flowers in the garden
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