TRANQUILITY OF BLUE:

Color represents peace, calmness

March 12, 2021

by Brenda Heinold/Victoria County Master Gardener

Edited by Suzanne LaBrecque/Victoria County Master Gardener

Editor’s note: Blue is the color for the month of March. Other color options will be explored in future Gardeners’ Dirt articles.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRYNN LEE

Sky Flower, a rapidly growing vine, needs a pergola or strong trellis to support it.  Planted behind the daylily bed at  Victoria Educational Gardens, this Sky Flower provides a nice backdrop and good protection from the strong, prevailing winds.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRENDA HEINOLD

Victoria Blue Salvia is a lovely spreading perennial that can be planted in spring.  Found with other bedding plants at nurseries, Victoria Blue is a neat, tidy salvia that will bloom spring through fall.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRENDA HEINOLD

The intense blue of Victoria blue salvia adds a cooling effect to the soft pinks of the pink and yellow daylily that grows among it.

BLUE FLOWERS FOR THE REGION

Annuals:

• Larkspur
• Ageratum
• Lobelia
• Petunia
• Pansy
• Blue Daze
• Bluebonnet

Perennials:

• Duranta
• Hydrangea
• Aster
• Scabiosa
• Plumbago
• Salvia
• Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)
• Blue Butterfly Bush (Clerodendrum ugandense)
• Agapanthus

Vines:

• Morning Glory
• Passion Flower
• Blue Pea Vine
• Sky Flower Vine
• Sandpaper Vine

Trees:

• Vitex
• Texas Mountain Laurel

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRYNN LEE

A closeup of the sky flower bloom shows the lovely deep, yellow throat.

As I write this article, Victoria is coming out of one of the coldest spells that we have had in a decade.

Gray skies and bitterly frigid temperatures hung around for days. Finally, the freezing temperatures ended and Mother Nature rewarded us with dazzling blue skies that instantly lifted our spirits. And that is exactly what that huge expanse of blue represented: A gift to uplift our spirits.

In the garden, blue has always signified tranquility, peace and calmness — a sort of rest and rejuvenation.

Ask any Texan. Is anything more tranquil than a field of bluebonnets stretching as far as the eye can see until it meets with the blue of the sky? The sight is so enchanting that Texas, of course, claims the bluebonnet as its state flower.

We can replicate some of that tranquility by including blue flowers in our home landscape throughout the year. And no time is better than spring.

Perennials
One of my favorite spring flowers is Victoria blue salvia (Salvia farinacea). Often grown as an annual in colder climates, Victoria blue is a perennial in our zone 9 gardens. Like other salvias, its flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. With occasional deadheading, it can bloom from spring through fall.

What I particularly like about Victoria blue is that it is readily available and can naturalize in our area. It adapts well to both flowerbeds and containers. I have it planted near a Belinda’s Dream rose that provides the salvia with some afternoon shade. The pink roses of Belinda’s Dream beautifully complement Victoria blue.

If your area is a little too sunny for Victoria blue, consider some other blue salvias, such as Henry Duelberg and mystic spires, which are Texas Superstars.

For the front of the border, scabiosa (Scabiosa columbaria) works well.

Also, known as pincushion flower, scabiosa grows in low mounds or clumps. It likes full sun but can benefit from some late afternoon shade.

Of course, for sheer showiness, nothing can beat plumbago (Plumbago auriculata). Native to South Africa, plumbago loves our heat. Plant it in front of yellow bells esperanza for a striking contrast throughout summer and fall. Plumbago blooms on new wood, so be sure to prune it several times throughout the year to prolong the flowers.

Annuals
Annuals can provide splashes of blue throughout the year. For late winter and early spring, consider larkspur (Consolida ambigua). A lovely addition to a cottage garden, larkspur seeds should be planted in the fall. They can be tricky to transplant, but if you do find some, put them into the ground in January and February. Even if they do not bloom as profusely as those planted in the fall, they will reseed, providing lovely early spring flowers for years to come.

Another wonderful blue annual for Victoria gardens is ageratum, also known as floss flower (Ageratum houstonianum). Ageratum prefers well-drained soils and thrives in the heat. It grows in compact mounds from 4 feet to 18 feet tall. Although not required, removing spent blooms can result in a longer blooming period.

Vines and groundcovers
Blue pea vine (Clitoria ternatea) has grown in popularity over the years. It needs a fence, trellis or arbor to climb on. Although deciduous, it greens up in the spring and also reseeds, blooming throughout the late spring and into fall.

Other vines with blue flowers include sandpaper vine (Petrea volubilis) and sky flower vine (Thunbergia grandiflora).

For groundcover, choose blue daze (Evolvulus glomeratus). Another Texas Superstar, it thrives in heat, forming dense mats of blue flowers that are great for the front of the bed. It may take some work to add blue to your landscape, but after you do, you will feel peaceful. Guaranteed.

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY SUZANNE LABRECQUE

Blue Daze 'Blue My Mind' growing at Victoria Educational Gardens

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER SUZANNE LABRECQUE

This Blue Daze 'Blue My Mind' is growin in gravel at Four Season's Garden Center in Victoria Texas.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER SANDRA HEINOLD

Scabiosa, a low mounding plant with blue pincushion flowers, provides a nice edge to this front yard bed.  It mixes well with the roses and daylilies that will soon surround it.



PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER SANDRA HEINOLD

Blue and white larkspur look lovely mixed with pink snapdragons in front of the towering photinias in this backyard garden.