Blue has always been my favorite color in the garden, yet it seemed so hard to find truly blue flowers when I first started gardening.
After years of experimenting, I’ve discovered these incredible blue perennials that add the most magical touch to any garden space.
Let me share my tried-and-true favorites with you!
Top 10 Blue Flowering Perennials
1. Catmint
Characteristics
This was my first “true blue” garden success story! Catmint’s purple-blue blooms create the most enchanting display from late spring through summer. The soft, aromatic bluish-green leaves add such a lovely backdrop to any garden space.
Growing Requirements
I’ve found catmint to be incredibly forgiving – it thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. One thing I absolutely love about this plant is how it bounces back even when I forget to water it during busy summer days.
Benefits
My favorite thing about catmint is how it attracts butterflies and bees to my garden. It’s become a cornerstone in my borders and rock gardens, and the deer completely ignore it!
2. Dutch Iris
Features
In my garden, these stunning beauties create the most dramatic spring display I’ve ever seen. The deep blue petals contrasting with bright yellow throats never fail to make me smile. When they sway in the breeze on their tall stems, it’s pure magic!
Care Instructions
I learned the hard way about letting the leaves die back naturally – don’t make my mistake of cutting them too early! Plant these bulbs in fall, and by late spring, you’ll have a gorgeous show. One year I got impatient and trimmed the leaves too soon, and my blooms were much less impressive the following season.
Uses
I’ve started planting these near my later-blooming perennials, and it’s been a game-changer for continuous color. They make the most gorgeous cut flowers for my kitchen table too!
3. Creeping Phlox
Characteristics
This sweet ground cover holds a special place in my heart – it was the first plant that truly transformed my problematic slope into a blanket of blue stars. The low-growing, spreading habit creates the most beautiful carpet of color in early spring.
Growing Conditions & Uses
After struggling with erosion on my hillside, this plant became my saving grace. It thrives in the full sun spots where other plants struggled. My butterflies absolutely adore it!
Maintenance
A quick trim after blooming is all it needs – I usually do this while listening to my favorite gardening podcast. This simple task keeps it looking neat and ensures an even better show next year.
4. Virginia Bluebells
Features
These native woodland beauties have stolen my heart with their color-changing display. Watching the pink buds transform to blue bells feels like witnessing a small miracle each spring. They create the most romantic atmosphere in my shady garden spots.
Growing Requirements
In my experience, these beauties are happiest in those tricky shady spots where other plants struggle. I’ve found they do beautifully under my mature trees where the soil stays consistently moist.
5. Columbine
Characteristics
My grandmother always grew these in her garden, and now they’re a cherished part of mine too. The unique bell-shaped flowers come in the most gorgeous shade of blue, though I’ve found they like to surprise me with other colors too!
Care Requirements
These carefree plants have become my go-to for those partially shaded spots. They’re so low-maintenance that I sometimes forget they’re there until they burst into bloom each spring.
6. Forget-Me-Not
Features
These delicate little flowers hold such special memories – they were the first flowers my daughter helped me plant. Their sky-blue blooms create the sweetest cottage garden feel I’ve ever seen in my beds.
Growing Conditions
I’ve discovered they’re happiest in my partly shaded garden spots where the soil stays a bit moist. Just keep in mind they can be enthusiastic spreaders – I learned this the hard way when they popped up in my vegetable garden!
7. Blue Delphinium
Characteristics
These showstoppers are like the supermodels of my garden! Their tall, true-blue flower spikes never fail to draw gasps from visitors. They create the most stunning backdrop for my other perennials.
Growing Requirements
Living in the cooler north, I’ve had great success with these beauties. They do need some support – I use decorative metal stakes I found at a garden show last year. Rich soil and plenty of sunshine keep them thriving in my garden.
8. Blue False Indigo
Features
This might be my all-time favorite blue perennial! The indigo spikes seem to get more impressive every year. I planted one tiny specimen five years ago, and now it’s the star of my summer garden.
Growing Conditions
Even during our brutal heat waves, this tough plant keeps going strong. I’ve given it plenty of space to grow near my patio, and watching it mature has been such a joy.
9. Cranesbill (Perennial Geranium)
Characteristics
These sweet little plants have become my secret weapon for filling garden gaps. Their true blue blooms create the most charming mounds of color from late spring through summer.
Care Requirements
After their first flush of blooms, I give them a quick haircut, and they reward me with another round of flowers. They’re so easy-going that I’ve started giving divisions to all my gardening friends.