Blue beauties for autumn gardens

In the world of colour, the combination of blue, yellow and red creates a natural three-part harmony, and it is these colours that we associate with the autumn garden.

While red, yellow and orange are harmonious colours, it is blue  that shakes them up and injects energy into the garden’s colour scheme.

So, don’t go without blue in autumn, or at any other time of the year. Blue is probably one of the safest and easiest colours to use in a garden as it mixes with almost every other colour.

All seasons salvia

Perennial salvias are the showiest of all the blue flowers and for variety they are hard to beat. With their upright spikes of true blue flowers, they stand out above and among autumn perennials like coreopsis, gaillardia and bidens, all in shades of yellow orange and red.

Salvia ‘Mysty’ is the most compact of the perennial salvias and grows 30 – 46 cm high and wide.  It produces plenty of true blue flower spikes that stand out against dark green leaves. It is one of the most drought tolerant of the salvias.

‘Black and Bloom’ is a large shrubby salvia that grows 1.2m high and wide. It is a great space filler and its large flowers stand out dramatically against the darker, thicker stems. It is a high impact landscape plant that is as tough as nails, withstanding humidity as well.

Salvia ‘Salgoon Lake Titicaca’  is a new addition to the ever increasing range of perennial salvia. This heat and drought resilient salvia flowers profusely from spring to autumn with firm, well filled flower spikes in a range of colours. This robust, upright growing salvia has no pest issues and doesn’t need fertilising to flower well.

Good to know: All salvia like plenty of sun, well drained soil, regular watering and fertilising once a month. In return they flower nonstop and attract bees and butterflies.

Regal delphiniums

The regal Delphinium ‘Guardian’s intense blue spikes reach up to 1m. They put this plant into a small but select group of flowers that can lay claim to being “true blue.” Their flowers are also good for picking. This sought after bedding plant for autumn likes to be grown in rich, slightly alkaline soil, in a cooler area of the garden that receives morning sun. It is a short lived perennial that needs to be replaced every two or three years.

Angelonia Guardian Angel stands out 

Angelonia ‘Guardian Angel Blue’ is perfect for providing middle level height in a bed. The vertical thrust of its large blue flowers makes it a valuable feature plant, especially in a smaller garden. For a good show group five plants together in a position that receives full sun. Plants need soil that drains well and once established are very drought tolerant.

Lobelia Curacao: not shy to flower

Also, a true blue, Lobelia ‘Curacao’ delivers masses of tiny flowers. There is a mounded variety, 25cm high and 30cm wide, for garden beds and containers as well as a semi-trailing version for hanging baskets. Lobelia grow best in semi shade and like well-drained soil.

Quick growing petunia E3 Easy Wave

Groundcover petunias like Petunia  E3 Easy Wave provide the quickest colour in gardens, especially in small or newly established home gardens. The deep blue of Easy Wave ‘ Blue’ and the lighter ‘Sky Blue’ offer mounds of flowers and a controlled spread of 65 to 80cm.They grow in full sun and need very little care.

Water wise Scaevola

Scaevola are tough, compact plants that are unusual for their fan-shaped flowers. They work well in water wise gardens as edgings, groundcovers or borders and in pots or hanging baskets.

‘Bondi Blue’ has light blue flowers and plants are neat and low growing with a spread of 46cm while ‘Touch Indigo’ is a deeper blue and has a wider spread, up to 60 cm. Scaevola grow in sun or semi shade and like soil that drains well but is kept evenly moist. Let the soil dry out slightly before watering.

Evolvulus ‘Big Blue Eyes’  

Also known as dwarf morning glory (not the invasive kind) Evolvulus ‘Big Blue Eyes’ is a spreading groundcover with larger than usual blue flowers. Use it to spill over rockeries and raised beds as well as out of containers and hanging baskets. Regular trimming will keep it from getting scraggly. Like all morning glories the flowers close at night and open in the morning.

For more inspiration visit www.ballstraathof.co.za

Article and images supplied by Alice Coetzee. 

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