Name: Caryopteris × clandonensis aka bluebeard or blue mist shrub.
Type of Plant: A short shrub (typically 20-30” tall and a bit wider) with pale, sea-green foliage and blue flowers in the late summer and early fall. Hardy in zones 5 to 8, and growing best in full sun.
Why I Love This Plant: I love the fact that this shrub stays small. I appreciate that the foliage contrasts well with other shrubs that have larger or differently colored leaves. And I love how Caryopteris attracts butterflies and bees.
A Word to the Wise: Plan on cutting these back by 1/3 to a half of the plant’s height in March or early April. That will keep the plant full and bushier.
Hear the latest buzz! Bees love this bluebeard when it flowers at the end of the summer.
I planted three Caryopteris where the gray-green foliage would contrast nicely with the purple leaves on the smoke tree.
The blue flowers on top of the rather lacy stems and leaves make Caryoppteris shrubs stand out in the garden.
I love this plant also, I would like to move it. Does it move well?
If the plant is young and has only been in place for a couple of years it should move well. If it’s older, you’ll have to be sure to dig deeply in order to get enough of a root ball. These tend to be short-lived plants so if yours is older than 5 years you might just want to put a new one in your preferred location and heavily prune back the original one next spring.