Cure Your Seasonal Blues with the Bluest of Flowering Hues: Bluebeard (Caryopteris)!

If you’re looking for an exceptionally blue flower that blooms in the Fall, in combination with amazing silvery foliage, look no further than Caryopteris, or Bluebeard. This plant thrives in full sun up to part shade, though you’ll get more flowers the more sun it gets. 

Bluebeard (Caryopteris) alongside Panicle Hydrangea and Beautyberry (Callicarpa)

In this post, you'll learn:

• Bluebeard (Caryopteris) is a fantastic perennial for full sun, well draining sites

• This plant blooms in late Summer through Fall

• Bluebeard is HIGHLY deer resistant!

• Pollinators adore Bluebeard

• Bluebeard is highly heat tolerant

Bluebeard (Caryopteris) features silvery foliage with soft blue flowers.

The happiest spot that you can plant a Bluebeard is an area that isn’t susceptible to any standing water. This plant likes a well-draining soil, and is extremely drought-tolerant once established.  

Caryopteris (Bluebeard) features one of the bluest blooms you can find in the landscape!

Caryopteris is an amazing woody perennial that has this beautiful, silvery foliage coming out around April, then producing these beautiful blue blooms, flowering around September. Another great thing about this plant is that it’s highly deer resistant!!

A skipper butterfly feasting away on Bluebeard (Caryopteris) nectar

Although Bluebeard can handle part-shade, if you give it full-sun, you’ll be rewarded with beautiful blue blooms for two months in late Summer and Fall! In addition, it attracts TONS of pollinators of all walks, flaps and crawls. 

Bluebeard (Caryopteris) standing out in front of a white picket fence at our Hillsborough location

Not only is Bluebeard an incredible end-of-season bloom, it’s also incredibly fragrant, with its leaves having a really nice minty, herbal smell whenever you rub up against them. Because of this, it actually works really well as a natural mosquito repellent! Just rub the leaves one your skin and you’re good for the evening! 

A closeup on a blooming stalk of Bluebeard (Caryopteris)

Young leaves are also edible, though their taste is super strong, so they’re best used in small portions to spice up a salad! 

The blue blooms of Caryopteris sticking out amid golden Fall foliage

Bluebeard is a drought-tolerant and heat-resistant perennial, which makes it a wonderful option for putting it in a container. They add great Fall interest, as their leaves turn to a buttery yellow color. At the same time, they’ll produce seeds that serve as a great food source for birds going into Winter!

Because it can tolerate some shade, you can use Caryopteris in woodland edges.

Caryopteris is a pollinator magnet. This shrub fills numerous niches in your garden. With sizes ranging from 2’ to 6’ depending on the variety, there’s sure to be one to suit your space. 

A bumblebee digging into a Bluebeard (Caryopteris) blossom for pollen

If these bursts of blue are your perfect hue, maybe Caryopteris is the shrub for you! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQb01JXGrC0