Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Longwood Blue' - Blue Spirea
Blue Mist Caryopteris (also commonly called blue spirea or bluebeard) is a low-mounded, deciduous shrub that is valued for its aromatic foliage and late summer flowers which are said to resemble clouds of blue smoke or mist. The plants typically produce about 18-30 inches of growth per year, so total shrub height (usually from 2-3') depends in large part upon the extent of winter dieback and/or the annual spring pruning. 'Longwood blue' is a taller cultivar which may reach a height of 4'. It features a profuse, shrub-covering bloom of fragrant, violet-blue flowers from late summer into fall and lance-shaped, silvery-gray leaves (to 1.5 inches long). Foliage is aromatic when brushed with a hand. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects. A selection from Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.
Easily grown in average, well-drained soil in full sun. Prefers loose loams. Tolerates some drought. Intolerant of wet, poorly-drained soils. Roots are winter hardy to USDA Zone 5, but top growth is hardy to USDA Zone 7. Consequently, plants are generally grown as shrubby, soft-wooded perennials north of USDA Zone 7 by pruning stems back hard each year in early spring. Regardless of pruning intentions, stems will often die to the ground in the cold winters of Zones 5 and 6, with roots surviving to push up new stems in spring. Even in warm winter climates where the stems usually survive winter, gardeners frequently still prune the plants back hard in early spring to promote vigorous new stem growth. Flowering is unaffected by spring pruning because plants bloom on new growth. The plant you will receive is growing in a 4" pot, well rooted and about 8" tall.
Publisher: Hirt's Gardens
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