Thanks for Sharon who was here yesterday for inspiring me to write about this Caryopteris. I had grown a number of them for years, but they were all short lived and seemed unhappy any place I tried to grow them, but I love the blue flowers, so I kept on trying. This one is a different species and seems to be quite content anywhere I grow it. It is a small bush, maybe up to 4 feet tall and about as wide. It dies to the ground each winter and is a bit slow getting started in the spring, but comes up fast once it decides that the time has come. The green and white leaves are small and so you get a sort of all over confetti look from a distance. The blue flowers are a late summer/early fall thing. Although they hold up well in a vase, the foliage on this plant has a realy unpleasant scent, and so I usually don't use them in the house. I suppose that's why nothing seems to bother it either animals or insects. Full sun is best, though it will grow in part shade.We've had 3 inches of rain in the last 2 days and there were actually puddles in the driveway and the creek was running. Quite unusual for this time of year, but the gardens look better than I expect for the beginning of August and the weeds (which have grown unbelievably) are coming out like they aren't even attached to the soil. Yeah!
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment