Habit
Wouter Hagens, Wikimedia · Domaine public
Bluebeard
Caryopteris x clandonensis Rehder
Also known as: Blue spiraea
Family: Lamiaceae
60 cm to 1.2 m tall
Planted in sunny borders, ordinary well-drained soils
Flowering: August – October
Full sun
Fairly hardy, to about -15°C, the aerial parts may freeze but the rootstock regrows
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Bluebeard flowers on the current season's wood: it is cut back hard every spring, which stimulates vigorous regrowth followed by abundant blue flowering at the very end of summer, when most other shrubs have finished their cycle.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, greyish, aromatic when crushed
🌸 Flowers
Bright blue, grouped in small dense clusters all along the current year's stems
🍎 Fruits
Small achene
🪵 Bark
Slender, brownish-grey stems
🗺️ Distribution
Garden hybrid of Asian origin; widely grown in France as a border shrub
🐝 Value for pollinators
Late, nectar-rich flowering, a valuable resource for bees and butterflies at the end of summer
✂️ Horticultural uses
Border shrub pruned every spring to stimulate abundant late-summer flowering on the current year's wood
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No notable toxicity known
🌿 Other Lamiaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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