Plant This Drought-Tolerant Shrub for Vivid Color and Blooms That Pollinators Will Love in Late Summer
Caryopteris, or bluebeard, is grown for stunning flowers and foliage – and you’ll love how low-maintenance it is
Caryopteris, also known as bluebeard, is a unique shrub to brighten up beds and containers late in the season. Its vibrant blue flowers stand out against the usual seasonal tones of red and orange and are a beacon to pollinators from late summer right through to the frosts.
This low-maintenance shrub is grown both for these late blooms and its attractive, aromatic foliage. Caryopteris thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. When established, it is a drought-tolerant sub-shrub that needs only a light touch during the season to put on a show and be a beacon plant for pollinators.
If you are looking for plant to bring a different color to your fall garden and attract pollinators, then I recommend you plant caryopteris. For example, a cultivar like this ‘Beyond Midnight’ bluebeard plant at Nature Hills offers deep blue flowers beloved by butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. And there are many different varieties to consider, offering various tones of blue.
Reasons to Plant Caryopteris
Caryopteris is one of the best plants for small backyards as it only reaches 2-4 feet in height and spread. Yet it can offer so much to any garden throughout the seasons, despite its smaller stature.
As a versatile, low-maintenance shrub, you can plant caryopteris in cottage garden borders, wildlife gardens, gravel gardens, or container gardens and enjoy gorgeous late-season flowers and aromatic foliage.
The blooms predominantly come in shades of blue, though some varieties have white or purple flowers. These flowers are produced in fluffy tiers that appear up the upright stem from late summer up until the first frosts.
Blue and purple blooms are the best colors that attract bees. Unsurprisingly then, bluebeard plants are a magnet for late-season bees and butterflies. Caryopteris are great plants for fall pollinators and will be surrounded by them during the latter part of the season.
Caryopteris foliage also brings texture and interest. The finely-toothed leaves are gray-green, bright yellow, or variegated, depending on the variety, and soft to the touch. If you rub the leaves, they release a lovely herbal aroma.
The final reason to plant caryopteris is that it is low-maintenance. It is a drought-tolerant shrub once established, and needs little feeding or trimming throughout the season.
Shop Bluebeard Plants
'Sunshine Blue' has delicate blue flowers against the backdrop of gold-tinted foliage. It has an upright, compact nature and is hardy in zones 5 to 9.
'Blue Mist' produces clusters of soft blue flowers in late summer and fall and has aromatic, silvery-green foliage.
'Beyond Pink’d' is a unique variety with dark pink flowers that appear above glossy spearmint-green foliage. It is hardy in zones 7 to 9.
Where to Plant Caryopteris
For the healthiest plants and best displays, plant caryopteris in a sunny spot that gets at least six hours of sunlight each day.
When it gets enough sunlight, the shrub remains compact and blooms strongly. If it lacks light, it can get thin and scrawny as it reaches for sun, and blooming will be reduced.
Caryopteris can survive in many different soil types. However, the one thing guaranteed to make it sulk is wet, poorly-draining soil. The shrub does not like sitting in wet soil, especially over winter, and this can lead to root rot.
Adding organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure (you can get bags of cow manure at The Home Depot) can improve drainage to make it more suitable for caryopteris.
However, if you have really heavy soil, it may be better to plant caryopteris in a container or raised bed, where you can create the right conditions for the shrub to thrive.
This bag of organic compost and cow manure from Lowe’s can be an ideal material for preparing beds for planting, breaking up heavy soils, or increasing the moisture-retaining levels of lighter soils. It also helps boost soil nutrients and benefits any plants.
Care Tips
- Watering - After you plant caryopteris, it will need regular watering for the first season to guarantee it develops a healthy root system. Over these early stages, keep a close eye on the moisture levels and water plants when the top few inches of soil are dry. You can check this using your fingers or a soil moisture meter, available at Amazon. Mulching around plants helps to lock in moisture and suppress weeds. After the first year, caropteris is a drought-tolerant shrub once established and should only need watering during extended periods of dry weather. Take care to avoid overwatering, as the plant will suffer from sitting in wet soil for long periods.
- Feeding - Caryopteris are not heavy feeders and can flourish without regular feeding throughout the season. Give plants some balanced fertilizer in the spring, such as this all-purpose 4-4-4 plant food at Burpee. This one dose is sufficient to provide the nutrients needed for strong growth and flowering. You do need to avoid over-fertilizing plants, as it can lead to spindly foliage and fewer flowers for you and your garden pollinators to enjoy.
- Pruning - Caryopteris are very low-maintenance when it comes to pruning. You don’t need to do any deadheading, as the blooms continually open up the stem. If you remove the stem prematurely, you miss out on more tiers of flowers. The blooms are also followed by decorative seedheads that can be used in dried flower arrangements or left to provide interest in a winter garden. You prune caryopteris in spring. The shrub flowers on new wood. It needs to be cut back to just above ground level to allow new shoots to come through and carry this season’s flowers. Always use clean, sharp pruning tools. A pair of pruning shears, such as these Felco pruning shears at Garden Goods Direct, is ideal for cutting back shrubs.
- Overwintering - Caryopteris are cold hardy down to US hardiness zone 5. The roots can be protected over winter with a 2-4 inch layer of mulch in colder climates, and not pruning until the spring leaves a protective layer of growth in place to protect plants from frost. Shrubs in containers may need to be moved to a protected spot for the winter in colder zones, or you can cover them in frost cloth or winter covers, such as these plant protection covers at Amazon. It is also advisable to raise containers with pot feet to ensure they drain well during winter.
A garden for pollinators needs lots of wildlife-friendly flora, especially native plants. It is also important to provide habitat, such as a bug hotel, butterfly house, or even small piles of old stems or logs, along with a water station where pollinators can land and enjoy a drink. These pollinator watering stations at Walmart can be placed in flower beds and are colorful for attracting bees and butterflies.
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