The Bluebeard natural beauty

This is Caryopteris, more commonly referred to as bluebeard. It is in flower right now, which makes it one of the last in the garden to bloom. Along with that distinction, it also has the most true-to-blue color of flower that we have. Most “blue” flowers veer into purple territory, unable to hold off that little bit of red that creeps into everything. This plant manages to retain its clear hue, and in the late afternoon it practically glows, reflecting the deep shade of the sky.

This particular specimen was the only surviving plant from a group of re-seeders. While it’s usually a pretty reliable perennial, for some reason the parent plant didn’t come back this year – leaving in its wake a number of seedlings instead. This is the only one that made it through to the end of the season. I won’t dead-head like I usually do, in the hopes that more will return next year.