Blue Flowering Shrubs for Bees

Blue flowering shrubs for bees and humans is here to inspire you whether your preference is for a formal garden, informal garden, a wildlife friendly garden, or indeed a mixture! It is both planting list suggestions for your garden and a call to action for providing bees with a food source.

Encouraging bees and other pollinators into our gardens is critical, yet it is such an easy action for us all to take. It doesn’t mean messy weedy spaces but beautiful, and frequently scented, flowers and shrubs. And if you’re fond of the colour blue, you’re onto a winner, especially where attracting bees is a priority.

Why Blue Flowers for Bees?

Violet flowers, blue flowers, purple flowers – these are all favourites with bees, more so than other colours. Because yes, bees can see colours, although have a different range to us humans. What it is that attracts them to flowers in the blue spectrum is explained in a previous blog “Why Do Bees Like Purple Flowers?” The link for this is below.

In a different article, I gave you planting suggestions for year round purple flowers (link at end). My aim there was twofold. To give you a slightly different or unusual selection of plants as well as year round food for bees.

But before we get onto the planting suggestions, some general tips if you’re inspired to look for blue flowering shrubs for bees. What should you bear in mind when choosing flowering plants to encourage bees into your garden?

Simple flower shapes, such as single blooms and open flowers
Have flowering plants all year round if you can
Choose pollen and nectar rich species
Plant a range of flowering plant species as different bee species like different types of flower

Blue Flowering Shrubs for Bees

These shrubs are hardy in many or most areas of the UK. If you have a windy garden on the Northeast coast of Scotland you may be advised to take cuttings, for example, of the Salvia. But then, you’re probably already a gardener who takes cuttings as a back-up!

Unless I say otherwise, the plants should be fine in most soils. Suggestions for chalk soil and clay soil are ‘related blogs’ section at the end. And growing in a suitably sized pot is often an option.

The flowering time roughly covers late spring through to late autumn. Some of the shrubs repeat flower.

Next, the list in alphabetical order, with alternate names (synonyms and common names) given in the body of the text which follows the list.

Caryopteris x clandonensis
Ceanothus
Ceratostigma
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lithodora diffusa
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Rosemary
Salvia
Teucrium fruticans

Caryopteris

Also known as ‘bluebeard’, or ‘blue mist bush’ this is a late summer to autumn flowering deciduous shrub. It’s suitable for small gardens being fairly compact and responding well to trimming. Grow in a sunny border or in light, dappled shade. I like all of them, but these two have proved particularly popular with clients.

Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Sterling Silver’ has silver-grey leaves from mid-spring and flowers late summer through autumn. The mid-blue flowers are lightly scented and the whole bush is compact enough to be happy growing in a container. Its pretty drought tolerant too.

The variegated gold and green foliage of Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Summer Sorbet’ extends the season of interest backwards into late spring. It has mid-blue flowers and slightly aromatic foliage. NB this will revert (turn) all green in too much shade.

caryopteris clandonensis summer sorbet, gold and green variegated foliage, scented flowers, blue flowers, summer flowering shrub, deciduous

Ceanothus

With a choice of spring or late summer-autumn flowering varieties, the California lilac is a winner in many more sheltered gardens. Ceanothus have lightly fragrant blue flowers and are generally but not always evergreen. Although they dislike cold winds and prefer an alkaline soil they don’t mind a warmer salt laden breeze..

In size they range from the tree like Ceanothus arboreus ‘Trewithen Blue’ to the smaller Ceanothus azureus ‘Concha’. Both are spring flowering with deep blue flowers. Whilst Ceanothus arboreus ‘Autumnal Blue’ has mid-blue flowers from late summer and may be a better choice in exposed areas.

Ceratostigma

Herewith two of my favourite plant names – Ceratostigma wilmottianum and Ceratostigma plumbaginoides. Both plumbago have rich blue flowers from midsummer through autumn plus foliage that turns from green to red-purple.

Ceratostigma wilmottianum is named for Ellen Willmott, English horticulturist and gardener, who funded the expedition to China where the plant was discovered in the early C19th.

Tolerant of most soils and generally hardy throughout the UK, I’m surprised not to find it in more gardens.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Macrophylla or mop head Hydrangeas are deservedly popular in gardens. The only problem is their capacity to change flower colour depending on the acidity of your garden soil – which can be a shock to many people!

See the article link at end for more on this topic, but if you have an acid soil in your garden, try growing Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Nikko Blue’. This is one of the best bright blue flowered shrubs there is. It will bloom from midsummer to early autumn.

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘brestenburg’, blue hydrangea

Lithodora diffusa

You may know this as Lithospermum diffusum or gromwell. but it has been reclassified as Glandora prostrata or (synonym) Glandora diffusa. Whichever of these we use, the cultivar name of ‘Heavenly Blue’ is the key information. These flowers are definitely blue and stunning!

Glandora needs an acid to neutral soil and is perfect for a southerly or westerly facing rockery. It also grows well in a pot or as ground cover.

Perovskia

Renamed as Salvia yangii following DNA testing, the commonly named Russian Sage is still marketed as Perovskia.

It has soft, silver, aromatic foliage. Which is a real give away that it prefers to grow in full sun! Although I’ve seen it thriving on heavy clay, it prefers a chalky soil, well-drained. The violet blue flowers are held erect from July to October in almost feathery panicles. And it makes a good choice for seaside gardens as salt-laden air doesn’t bother it. In fact its fairly tolerant of air pollution generally, if the rest of its growing requirements are met.

‘Blue spire’ and ‘Blue Steel’ are two that are easy to find under whichever Botanical Latin you use!

seaside garden, perovskia, santolina, sedum

Rosemary

Strictly speaking this is Salvia rosmarinus ‘Tuscan Blue’ – but I think we are slowly becoming accustomed to Rosemary’s reclassification as one of the Salvia genus in 2019…

I understand why, but I feel it’s shame to lose the officinalis tag as that told me straight away that the plant had long established medicinal properties.

Anyway, Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue’ arguably has the deepest blue flowers of all of them. Highly aromatic foliage of course, drought tolerant, sun lover, at home in the herb garden, kitchen garden or an ornamental border. Just for a change, a free draining neutral to alkaline soil is preferred.

Salvia

(Yes I know, three Salvia genus members in a row!)

There are a few blue flowered shrubby Salvia, but these two are amongst the best. Both are drought tolerant, soil tolerant, although not reliably hardy away from more sheltered coastal and southerly areas of the UK.

Salvia ‘African Sky’ has two tone blue flowers of sky blue throughout summer and autumn plus aromatic foliage– what’s not to like?

Salvia greggii ‘Blue Note’ has delicious mid-dark blue flowers with aromatic foliage and is slightly hardier.

Teucrium fruticans

An evergreen shrub with a twist – the green leaves are white underneath, which are frequently visible, giving a slightly dappled effect to the shrub overall.

Also known as tree germander, it likes a neutral to alkaline soil and thrives in full sun, although I have grown it successfully where it only got afternoon sun. Teucrium fruticans is borderline hardy depending how exposed your garden is.

Teucrium fruticans 'Curacao', Charlie Marshall from Bristol UK, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons;

And finally

There are of course more blue flowering shrubs for bees, but the ones I’ve chosen give you a good starting point. For more planting ideas check out the links below plus other Plews Potting Shed blogs.

Plus you can check out the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust and your local Beekeepers for more information on all our bees.

And do get in touch with Plews for a bee friendly garden design or planting design to suit you, your children, your pets, your garden and the bees themselves!

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