Are you looking for blue flowering shrubs to add to your garden? When most people think of blue flowering bushes, they think of hydrangeas. But there are other blue flowering bushes you can add to your yard or home to make it more colorful!
Plants with blue flowers in general are fairly unique. People often do a double take when they see them because of how brightly blue their flowers are. Most shrubs are red, but adding some blue will make your garden look a little more interesting.
What kinds of bushes have blue flowers? Read on to learn about some of our favorites. You’ll learn their scientific names, what hardiness zones they grow in, and about how big they grow. Let’s take a deeper look at our favorite blue flowering shrubs, with names and pictures of each!.
Blue is an elegant yet uncommon flower color that adds a refreshing pop of color to garden landscapes. While most blue flowering plants are deciduous shrubs and perennials, there are some attractive evergreen bushes that produce eye-catching blue blooms. These hardy bushes keep their leaves year-round while providing a beautiful floral display.
Adding blue flowering evergreen bushes to your garden allows you to enjoy cool blue hues throughout the seasons. The blue flowers elegantly complement the deep green foliage. These hardy bushes are also low maintenance, requiring little care once established.
Here are 10 stunning evergreen bushes with delightful blue flowers to brighten up your garden:
1. Blue Potato Bush (Solanum rantonnetii)
The Blue Potato Bush is a tropical flowering shrub with rich royal purple-blue blooms accented by bright yellow centers. This fast-growing evergreen bush can reach up to 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide However, annual pruning helps maintain a neat shape
The upright bush produces delicate blue flowers from summer to fall which contrast beautifully against the bush’s shiny green leaves. Blue potato bush thrives in zones 9-11 and does well in full sun. It makes a gorgeous focal point or background plant for tropical garden beds.
2. Blue Blossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
California lilac or blueblossom is a medium sized evergreen shrub that explodes with stunning clusters of fragrant powdery blue flowers in spring. Flowers attract bees and butterflies. Blue blossom grows quickly into an upright bush up to 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
This carefree shrub tolerates heat, coastal conditions, and drought once established. The small, glossy green leaves provide a nice backdrop for the vivid floral display. Plant blue blossom in borders slopes or large containers. Ideal for USDA zones 7-10.
3. Cape Leadwort (Plumbago auriculata)
Cape leadwort is an evergreen sprawling shrub that produces an abundance of phlox-like sky blue flowers. The five-petaled blooms appear in clusters from spring to fall on arching branches. Cape leadwort grows up to 10 feet tall and wide in warm climates but can be kept more compact.
Great for containers, arbors, borders and coastal gardens. The shiny green leaves have a nice texture. Cape leadwort thrives in zones 8-11 with well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. Protect from cold winds. An easy care bush that attracts pollinators.
4. Bluebeard (Caryopteris × clandonensis)
Bluebeard is a deciduous subshrub in most regions but can be grown as an evergreen bush in zones 8-10. This compact, mounding bush explodes with dozens of fuzzy blue flower clusters in late summer above fragrant silver-green foliage. The flowers attract bees and butterflies.
Bluebeard grows 2-3 feet tall and wide, making it perfect for borders and containers. Needs full sun and well-drained soil. Prune hard in early spring to maintain shape. Some of the best blue varieties include ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘First Choice’.
5. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Rosemary is a very hardy, aromatic evergreen Mediterranean herb. Upright varieties grow tall into an attractive shrub up to 6 feet tall with pine-like needles and light blue flowers blooming in late winter or spring. Prostrate rosemary varieties are more ground hugging.
The flowers and needles of rosemary have a refreshing scent. Its silvery foliage looks nice in borders and containers. Once established, rosemary is quite drought tolerant. Protect from hard freezes. Grow rosemary in full sun and well-drained soil in zones 8-10.
6. Anise-Scented Sage (Salvia guaranitica)
Anise-scented sage is a tender evergreen shrub in zones 7-10 but often grown as an annual. This fast growing bush reaches up to 4 feet tall and wide and produces dense spikes of rich cobalt blue tubular flowers summer into fall that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
The fresh, licorice-scented leaves complement the glittery blue blossoms. Requires full sun and moderate water. Great for borders, containers and mass plantings. ‘Black and Blue’ is an award-winning variety with vivid blue blooms.
7. Blue Glorybower (Clerodendrum ugandense)
This tropical flowering shrub has incredibly showy clusters of bright blue flowers shaped like butterflies. Blue glorybower grows upright to 10 feet tall with a spread of 2-3 feet wide. The bushy shrub has rounded, glossy green leaves that provide a nice backdrop to the electric blue blossoms that appear in waves.
Providing a touch of the tropics, blue glorybower thrives in zones 9-11. Plant in full sun to partial shade. Use as a garden accent, foundation planting, hedge or container plant. Blooms throughout the warm season. Perfect for attracting pollinators.
8. Blue Periwinkle (Vinca major)
There are many different periwinkle groundcover varieties but the ‘Blue’ flowering type offers rich indigo-blue blooms that appear in spring above glossy evergreen foliage. Blue periwinkle is technically a tender perennial subshrub hardy to zone 7 that spreads aggressively to create lush green mats topped with vibrant colored flowers.
The long blooming vines do well spilling from containers or cascading down slopes and banks up to 3 feet tall. Periwinkle thrives in sun or shade. Keep an eye on growth as it can become invasive. Works well as an underplanting beneath shrubs.
9. Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica)
While technically not a bamboo, heavenly bamboo is a medium-sized evergreen shrub that produces clusters of tiny white flowers in late spring followed by vivid red berries that mature to a pretty blue color in fall. Heavenly bamboo grows 4-8 feet tall depending on variety.
The bushy shrub has lacy, bi-pinnately compound leaves that emerge tinted red before turning green. Provide full sun to partial shade. Use as foundation plantings, hedges, and in perennial borders. Drought tolerant once established. Hardy to zone 6.
10. Blueleaf Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla)
Also called false forget-me-not, this hardy perennial subshrub has clusters of small baby blue flowers that bloom in spring similar to a forget-me-not. The blue flowers beautifully contrast against the large, textured heart-shaped leaves that remain evergreen in mild winters.
Blueleaf Siberian bugloss does best in partial to full shade and organically rich soil. Grows 1-2 feet tall and wide. Works nicely as a groundcover or border edge. Combines well with spring bulbs and hellebores. Hardy to zone 3, this carefree plant will spread nicely.
With their unique blue blooms and attractive greenery, these hardy evergreen bushes provide year-round interest and color. Use blue flowering evergreen shrubs as accents, in mixed borders, as foundation plantings or massed as flowering hedges. They are easy care, low maintenance plants.
Frequency of Entities
evergreen bushes – 15
blue flowers – 14
evergreen foliage – 5
blue blooms – 4
flowering shrub – 3
full sun – 3
evergreen shrub – 3
partial shade – 3
Blue Rose of Sharon
- Plant Type: Shrub
- Geographical Origin: East Asia
- Plant Size: 8 to 12 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 5-9
A sterile strain of the more popular Rose of Sharon, the Blue Rose of Sharon will not produce working seeds. However, this gorgeous plant provides worthwhile leafy greenery and fairytale-like blooms to your yard or garden.
During the shorter blooming season from mid-summer to fall, each flower will only open for one day at a time. The flowers are a pale blue and about four inches across in diameter. They are delicate and lace-like blossoms with a layering of petals.
This shrub, Blue Rose of Sharon, is very useful as a hedge or yard border because it is strong. A deciduous bush, it will lose its broad leaves every fall.
This version of the plant is also known as Blue Chiffon in garden centers. Based on the plant, Rose of Sharon flowers can range from lighter shades of blue to a shrub with lavender flowers.
- Plant Type: Shrub
- Geographical Origin: Mongolia
- Plant Size: 2 to 3 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 5-9
You may also know this plant as Blue Mist or Blue Spirea. The Bluebeard plant blooms later, usually from late summer to late fall.
The dense, large leaves provide a thick base for the plant while flowering stems rise above. The leaves are often fragrant, giving out a gentle aroma similar to eucalyptus. The flowers themselves are small and pale blue or sometimes white. They clump together every few inches around the central stem, with each lower clump blooming first.
As the flowers open up, they put out long blue whiskers, giving them a similar look to thistles. The Bluebeard plant will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden as summer comes to an end.
- Plant Type: Shrub
- Geographical Origin: Asia
- Plant Size: 2 to 3 feet
- Sun Exposure: Partial sun
- Plant Zone: 6-10
The Blue Rhododendron, or “Blue Tit” Rhododendron, is the blue-flowered version of the traditional shrub. Rhododendrons are evergreen trees with small, dark leaves that stay green all year. They are often used as a yard border or hedge. As it is so dense and easily spread, the Blue Rhododendron needs careful pruning every season.
The flowers of the Blue Rhododendron grow in groups of three or five. The blossoms have trumpet shapes and usually emerge as a pale bluey-purple before darkening into a deeper blue.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographical Origin: Central and North America
- Plant Size: 2 to 4 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
- Plant Zone: 3-9
The Blue False Indigo is not really a shrub, but it has a bushy base with lots of big, dense leaves. A member of the pea family, Blue False Indigo uses several thin stalks to display its small flowers. Though not the source of real indigo, its juices can sometimes act as a substitute.
The blossoms are a pale blue to blue-purple color. With three to four main petals that curve away from each other, they look a lot like pea plant flowers.
When emerging from the earth, new shoots of Blue False Indigo can resemble asparagus. However, this plant can be toxic to humans, especially children, and should not be eaten.
- Plant Type: Shrub
- Geographical Origin: North America
- Plant Size: 4 to 6 feet tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 7-10
This blue flowering shrub is also called Soap Bush or Ceanothus. It is one of the easiest to grow. The shrub doesn’t need much coaxing to thrive, and it can sprout faster than you think.
The California Lilac has clusters of tiny flowers that look like bottle brushes all over the plant, just like any other Lilac bush. Each flower is a thin trumpet-shaped shape, and when dozens of them come together, they make beautiful cone-shaped blooms.
The California Lilac has a range of blue colors, from darker blues to paler purple-blue hues. It attracts birds, bees, and butterflies. It can also function as a stand-alone shrub or tree or a partial yard barrier.
- Plant Type: Shrub
- Geographical Origin: Mediterranean
- Plant Size: 3 to 16 feet
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 6
The Chaste Tree looks similar to a Lilac bush but does better in climates with hotter summers. It has long, spiky leaves and cones of flowers. The flowers are either white, pink, or a purply-blue. However, the individual blooms are less similar to those of Lilacs, as they don’t grow quite so dense.
Chaste Trees can be stand-alone shrubs or part of a yard border. They are sometimes looked to for medicinal purposes to combat premenstrual syndrome, among other things. There is, however, no solid proof that a Chaste Tree can be useful as a medicine or health product.
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Geographical Origin: North and South America
- Plant Size: 6 to 12 inches tall
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Plant Zone: 10-11
Dwarf Morning Glory is a smaller version of the Morning Glory vine that can grow as a small bush or in a pot. The plant’s stems are still vine-like like the parent plant, which lets the Dwarf Morning Glory’s leaves get woody and dense.
The flowers are wide-spread trumpet shapes up to two inches across in diameter. The Dwarf Morning Glory flowers are a royal blue, which makes them stand out from other blue flowering plants and add a splash of blue to your garden. Each flower has a gold and white circle in the middle that makes the bright blue edges stand out even more.
Low Maintenance Evergreen Shrubs to Grow Around Your Home!
FAQ
What is the name of the blue flowering bush?
What is an evergreen shrub with large flowers?
What evergreen shrub has yellow flowers and blue black berries?
What is a bush clematis with blue flowers?
Are flowering evergreen shrubs a good choice?
Flowering evergreen shrubs can add year-round interest to your front yard, garden, and landscaping around your home. Many are long-blooming varieties with vibrant flowers in spring and summer. When selecting a flowering shrub, be sure to choose one that will thrive in your hardiness zone and the growing conditions in your yard.
Are blue flowering bushes easy to find?
They are not always easy to find because blue is not a pigment often found in plants. Especially in shrubs. Breeders have worked hard to introduce it but most of the plants that are labelled blue are not a true clear blue, but rather a shade of purple with blue overtones. So finding and using blue flowering bushes is a labor of love.
What plants have blue flowers?
The most common shrubs with blue flowers are hydrangeas, lilacs, hibiscus, and butterfly bushes. Blue-blooming shrubs typically grow between 1 and 10 ft. (0.3 – 3 m) tall. Their vibrant blue hues contrast nicely with greenery, enhancing your yard’s aesthetic appeal.
How do you identify blue-flowering shrubs?
Their vibrant blue hues contrast nicely with greenery, enhancing your yard’s aesthetic appeal. Identifying blue-flowering shrubs for your front or backyard involves examining the leaf shape, size, and arrangement. Also, consider the shrub’s growth, like mature height and width. Most shrubs are identifiable by their flower shape and form.