Relax with blue themed gardening

Margaret Griffin

Designing a garden theme of blue can be ideal for both your family and helping the bees.

A blue-themed garden bed can create a cool soothing effect in your garden. Adding a splash of silver or white through this bed or container can make the blue in the flower pop right out.

Also, did you know that bees have favourite colours and blue is one of the best? Bees can see and therefore are attracted to blue and violet flowers.

Geranium Johnson's Blue

One of the most popular blue-flowered geraniums, Johnson's Blue forms dense, spreading mounds of neatly cut leaves, topped with abundant clusters of large, saucer shaped sky blue flowers.

Geraniums are versatile perennials that flower for several months through early summer and are at their best in July.

One outstanding cultivar is Johnson's Blue, easy to grow with gives masses of mauve flowers which emerge through the vigorous and lush foliage.

It looks at its best grown among shrubs and taller perennials where its lax habit can be used to full advantage. It’s best planted in groups of three, five, seven or more.

Not much interferes with this geranium, so it is generally trouble free as regards pests and disease!

Nepeta catmint

One of the perennial powerhouses of the plant world, catmint is extremely versatile and easy to grow. This is why you see many tidy town groups and landscapers using this in mass planting areas.

This plant will reward you with a very long flowering season and requires little to no care.

The catmints (Nepeta) are some of our best garden perennials, as they are long lived, very easy-to-grow, resistant to browsing animals (deer and rabbits), and they feature a profusion of colour in various shades of blue. And yes, as the name suggests, cats often find them irresistible.

They grow well in a wide range of soil types, including dry clay. They perform well with at least a half day of sun, but flower best in full sun.

Ideal for pollinators, especially honeybees, catmints are an excellent source of nectar. They are so easy to grow that they are a great beginner's perennial plant.

Campanula

Most people will recognise this plant for its ability to hug rocks and ditches to produce an abundance of flowers all summer. The wonderful Campanula Mrs Rosholt is that beautiful blue flower that grows on walls and rockeries.

Campanula loves well drained soil, so add lots of grit if you are planting in the ground or in pots. If planting into stones walls, just use some wet soil mixed with Westland slow-release fertiliser. Campanula can be evergreen in dry conditions, but in damper soils will lose its foliage for winter.

Lithodora

This is one of the best blue flower ground covers available and is well known for its vibrant colour and good ground cover spread.

This award winning plant which is evergreen and flowers from April to September will brighten up any rockery or container.

It thrives in full sun and but will take partial sun. Lithodora will cascade over a rock wall on down a side of a raised bed.

The bees also love this plant.

New varieties of our summer coloured plants for your containers and patios are arriving daily from our nursery.

Give us a call on 021-7334286 if you like to know which ranges and varieties are available.