Blue

Soothing and tranquil, blue seems closest in feeling to woodwinds. Blue's cool and calming ways make it the color for healing, relaxation, and reflection. As the color of the sky, blue evokes a sense of infinite upward dimensions and nearness to the heavens.

 

Delphinium

• Blue plantings bring a cool, refreshing feeling to the hottest spots in your yard, even full-sun gardens on a summer afternoon.
• Blue recedes, or falls away, making spaces seem larger. Plant blue flowers along the sides of a narrow garden between houses to make them seem wider.
• Because blue calms and soothes, place it where people can sit, relax, and reflect quietly. But blue may be too calming for a deck, dining area, or other gathering place where you want lively interaction.

Front of Garden:

 

Consolida ambigua
(larkspur)

• Alpine columbine (Aquilegia alpina): Up to 18 inches tall. Zones 4-7.
• Alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris): Up to 8 inches tall. Zones 4-8.
• Aster amellus 'King George': Up to 18 inches tall. Zones 5-8.
• Glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa luciliae): Up to 6 inches tall. Zones 3-9.
• Lungwort (Pulmonaria) 'Mawson's Blue: Up to 14 inches tall. Zones 5-8.
• Milkwort (Polygala calcarea): Up to 2 inches tall. Zones 7-9.
• Prostrate speedwell (Veronica prostrata) 'Trehane': Up to 6 inches tall. Zones 5-8.
• Siberian squill (Scilla siberica): 4-8 inches tall. Zones 5-8.
• Star gentian (Gentiana verna): Up to 1-1/2 inches tall. Zones 4-7.

Middle of Garden:

• African blue lily (Agapanthus campanulatus): Up to 30 inches tall. Zones 7-10.
• Bluebottle (Centaurea cyanus) 'Blue Boy': Up to 30 inches tall. Grow as an annual in all Zones.
• Blue cardinal flower (Lobelia siphilitica): 24-48 inches tall. Zones 5-9.
• Borage (Borago officinalis): Up to 24 inches tall. Grow as an annual in all Zones.
• Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Heavenly Blue': Up to 3 feet tall. Zones 6-9.
• Catmint (Nepeta sibirica): Up to 36 inches tall. Zones 3-8.
• Gentian sage (Salvia patens) 'Cambridge Blue': 18-24 inches tall. Zones 8-10.
• Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena): Up to 20 inches tall. Grow as an annual in all Zones.
• Peach-leaved bellflower (Campanula persicifolia): Up to 36 inches tall. Zones 3-8.
• Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla): Up to 18 inches tall. Zones 3-7.

Back of Garden:

• Bog sage (Salvia uliginosa): Up to 6 feet tall. Zones 8-10.
• California lilac (Ceanothus) 'Autumnal Blue': Up to 10 feet tall. Zones 9-10.
• Clematis 'Perele d'Azur': Up to 10 feet tall. Zones 4-9.
• Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum): Up to 5 feet tall. Zones 3-7.
• Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blue Bonnet': Up to 6 feet tall. Zones 6-9.
• Monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii) 'Arendsii': Up to 4 feet tall. Zones 3-7.
• Morning-glory (Ipomoea tricolor) 'Heavenly Blue': 10-12 feet tall. Grow as an annual in all Zones.
• Plains false indigo (Baptisia australis): Up to 5 feet tall. Zones 3-8.