PlantFiles: Blue Mist Spiraea, Bluebeard
Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Dark Knight'

2-yr old plant was hit hard by mildew in July-August. Most leaves fell off- just now starting to make new ones. No blooms this year. Will try hard pruning eary spring 2013. South NJ area.

This blue mist shrub needs to be cut down in spring. (4-6 inches) If it is cut back in fall it will die. Also, some dry leaves around the base of the plant in winter will help overwintering success. This plant has grown for many years in Zone 5 (Chicago IL)

This shrub has been doing quite well in a few xeric gardens here in northwestern New Mexico (USDA zone 6B or Sunset zone 3A). It is a valuable addition to the gardens because of its late summer blue flowers. Does well in full sun with about 3 to 5 gallons of water (per plant) per week. Not sure of the cultivar. I'm assuming 'Dark Knight'.

I bought this gorgeous plant at a local nursery but unfrotuantely it was rootbound to the point of no saving. Once the flowerettes started going to seed they were dying. So I took it back and got another one today. Anyone familiar with Monrovia plants, they tend to be exceptionally rootbound mainly with their five gallon plants. They say their problem with them is solved but I just got this and it isn't. Anyway, I love this plant. I have a blue and white garden area (with a few other colors too that need to be moved) and blue is so hard to find for zone 9. Everyone tends to call some purple colors blue. I completely took apart the roots on this one and then soaked it. Hope it makes it. I'm in Southern California and it's supposed to do well with our heat spells here. Not as bad as Texas but hot for us in the 90's. Plus I'm on the hunt for summer blooming plants for this zone. My garden looks baren from mid-summer to February, yuk. Anyone know any other blue plants that grow here?

This plant comes into bloom (in my Philadelphia-area) garden during mid-August, when many other plants are fading. It's a beautiful blue color and makes a nice specimen plant. I find saplings of this plant all over my full-sun garden -- I've given away and discarded the babies. Seems to thrive in well-drained, full sun conditions.

I live in Philadelphia, PA (zone 6a) and planted a 'Longwood Blue' 2 years ago. It flowered the first year but there were no flowers at all last year. The foliage is also not as dense as the majority of photographs I have come across. I have it in morning shade/ afternoon sun in a fairly dry area that I substitute water during the hotter summer months. I'm going to try fertilizing it this summer to see if that helps it improve - it's looking kind of scraggly.

Here in Zone8a this plant grows great! It is very beautiful when it blooms in the summer and fall. All our neighbors comment how pretty it is! It is very tolerant of our Texas heat, humidity, and lack of rain in the warm months and does very well over the cooler winter months. I would recommend this plant to other gardeners in a similar climate.

I love Caryopteris! I love the blue color of most of the varieties and recently saw that there is a soft pink color of a new variety this year.

Planted Dark Knight Spring '06 and having problems with the stems 'laying down' as well has becoming week and splitting off. Possibly it needs harder pruning early on. ?

I like the True blue flowers. It is next to the Black Hollyhock and Star Gazer Lillies, and adds quite a bit of needed contrast.

I planted three in partial sun in zone 7a last spring. They flowered luxuriantly the same year -- put on a real show, plus the flowers have a delicious scent. The bumblebees agreed, but we didn't get any wasps. Ours have sapphire-blue flowers and soft gray-green foliage, on a mini tree-form habit. I've heard that they can spread quite a bit, so will update if that happens.

Have just purchased caryopteris Dark Knight, and put it in a bed next to Pee Gee hydrangea. The combination of the Dark Knight blue flowers against the white of the hydrangea is a lovely fresh change from the usual reds and yellows of most late summer flowers.

I just purchased Bluebeard 'Dark Knight' yesterday. Being a native Floridian, this was the first time I've ever heard of this lovely plant, so if anyone else from Florida has any growing suggestions, I'd appreciate any and all input. MotherNature4

Although it is supposed to be hardy to zone 4, this plant is not reliably hardy for me, possibly because of too much moisture in the winter dormant season. The flowers are welcome in the late summer and autumn, but I must replace it every 2-3 years.