Planting a blue garden
The color blue can be found everywhere around us: from the tiniest of hints in the blinding white of sparkly snow, to the darkest, almost-black of a late summer evening sky. Blue is also a color that we are very attracted to – in research done by House Beautiful magazine, when asked about their favorite color, 29% of Americans opted for blue, making it the US’s number one preferred color. We associate it with tranquility: blue summer skies, a secluded mountain lake, the sea surrounding a tropical island. But it’s also linked to cleanliness (blue toothpaste and detergent), coldness (blue tap = cold water) and even royalty.
If you are part of the one in three Americans who just can’t imagine life without this fresh and invigorating color, why not extend your love for this versatile hue to your garden? You can go all out and plant a complete blue-only garden, or you can start a bit smaller and just plant a little corner of blue flower bulbs first.
Top tip: If you really want to make the blue in your garden pop, consider planting just a few little flowers in highly contrasting colors like yellow or orange next to their sky-colored friends.
Jazz up your garden with some blues
With a bit of planning you can have something blue in your garden all season long. Below a selection of blue flower bulbs that will take you all the way from late February to early June:
- Late winter and early spring are all about icy blues with Siberian Squill and Chionodoxa, followed by muscari like the amazing three-toned Ocean Magic, and the first hyacinths such as dark Blue Jacket.
- As spring gets under way, it’s time for anemone blanda Blue Shade and dwarf iris Reticulata Cantab to grace your garden with their quiet loveliness.
- A few more weeks in, and we’re at the height of the flower bulb season, with tulips growing everywhere. Though they are quite rare, there are some blue tulips around, like the beautiful Blue Aimable. Also, if you want something high-end in your garden, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for, as the double florets of elite hyacinth Blue Tango will start to bloom right about now.
- As the weather grows warmer and warmer, Spanish bluebells like Excelsior Blue are starting to come up. This flower attracts bees, butterflies and other pollinators, whose soft buzzing will only increase the relaxed feel of your blue garden.
- For a final farewell, there are no better flowers than alliums. With their fluffy pompoms and impressive heights, they make sure the bulb season goes out with a bang. Allium Azureum grows all the way up to 28 inches, and has a lovely fragrance.
