Beguiling Hints of Blue

Flower & Garden Magazine, August, 1999 by Lee Mitchell

I can almost boast that I beat the drought that swept the greater part of the summer of '98. "Yeah," you ask, "How? Watering techniques? Tougher perennials? Tell me something new." Well, I might. I used the color blue.

Color experts say blue is a cooling color -- a shade that provides a sense of ease and a feeling of comfort. If this is true, could the color blue impart a cooler perception in the garden when it's really hot? That's the idea I put to work in my garden. I incorporated perennials and annuals that would bloom from midsummer onward in shades of blue, purple and lilac.

What I discovered is this: blue holds a depth we don't see in other colors. It's a color that draws us inward, a shade that allows us to gaze without interference. Have you ever found yourself looking up at the sky or into a pool? It's easy to find yourself lost in the seconds that pass. This same design in the summer garden, using various shades of blue when the temperatures rise, can create the appearance of expanse and air, when in fact it could be just the opposite -- closely hot and torpid.

While it's said that true blue flowers are among the rarest to find, a vast number of perennials and annuals that range from lilac and sapphire to indigo and purple can paint a garden with cool shades when the heat arrives. Light shades of blue to purple can be planted along the border. Mid-size pinnacle blues can be placed in the center. Airy shrubs and large plants in rich hues of blue, purple or lilac can be positioned in the rear. By doing this, the garden comes into its own season by mid-to late summer.

To help blend the various shades of blue, try adding foliage plants with blue-green undertones or white flowers. And don't forget the heat-loving climbers -- those flowing wisps of lilac, soft blue and sometimes purple that gracefully challenge the sun against the white of a fence or the weathered gray of an arbor.

Getting a head start on the heat next summer is relatively easy. Just select plants from each of the following categories. Or, if you're browsing for a blue on your own, remember these tips:

1. Shades of soft purple, lavender and lilac work best below and above.

2. True blue and bolder tones can be used in the center of your garden plot.

3. Add emerald-blue foliage for fillers and small, white blossoms for interludes.

4. Climbers in shades of blue and purple work well. Consider planting at least one near the west side of the garden to block the glare of the evening sun.

5. Finally, choose plants that bloom from midsummer to early fall so the lavenders, lilacs, blues and purples all merge at one time.

One other advantage I discovered: these beguiling hints of blue don't fade in the sun so easily. Not only will your garden make you feel more comfortable, but your colors will stay true as the heat comes on.

FOR THE BORDER

Soft bluish hints along a garden path allow for an immediate sensation of stepping into a sheltered place, whether there's shade or not. Use purple, lavender and lilac tones for a soft introduction appropriately that will help you forget the withering heat for a moment. Here are some perennials and annuals to try along a garden footpath:

Bellflower `China Doll' (Campanula carpatica) Impatiens `Blue Pearl' Hardy Geranium `Ballerina' (Geranium cinereum) Geranium Wallichianum `Buxton's Variety' Lavender `Hidcote' (Lavandula angustifolia) Lilyturf `Majestic' (Liriope Muscari) Pincushion Flower `Blue Perfection' (Scabiosa caucasica) Scabiosa columbaria `Butterfly Blue' Verbena `Homestead Purple' or `Old Royal Fragrance'

THE CENTERPIECE

Almost always first to catch the eye, flowers planted in the center of the garden plot play an important role; and shades of blue in this area increase the flow of cooling strokes. Subtle and steady, the cool hues of these flowers skillfully create a restful effect while allowing the eye to move without resistance. The feeling of space and breeze is brilliantly created. For your own clever centerpiece, try any of these perennials and annuals:

Monkshood (Aconitum Carmichaelii) Aconitum x bicolor `Bressingham Spire' Aster x Frikartii `Monch' Cupid's Dart `Blue Giant' (Catanache caerulea) Hardy Phlox `Caroline Vandenberg'. Lavender `Munstead' (Lavandula angustifolia ) Gayfeather `Kobold' (Liatris spicata) Russian Sage (Perovskia x superba) Meadow Sage `East Friesland' (Salvia x superba) Speedwell `Sunny Border Blue' or `Blue Charm' (Veronica)

THE BACKGROUND

Nothing completes the picture better than a flowing backdrop painted in blending shadows. The bluish background of the summer garden should be like backup singers: pleasantly present, but not overwhelming. Keep existing evergreen shrubs in place, but tuck a few deciduous shrubs and large perennials into this background as well. Choose plants that will impart a light shower above lower drifts of blue using sprays of royal, purple or lavender blossoms:

Butterfly Bush `Black Knight' or `Empire Blue' (Buddleia Davidii) Blue Mist Shrub `Longwood Blue' or `Dark Knight' (Caryopteris x clandonensis) Fothergilla `Blue Mist' Hybrid Perpetual Rose `Reine des Violettes' Hydrangea macrophylla `Blue Wave' Lacecap