I realised today that all my summer flower suggestions so far have been shades of red. It is time to talk about a few of the my favourite blue summer flowering plants. All of them have heat, drought and wind tolerant properties.
Plumbago Auriculata
This tall shrub adorns many South African garden. It is also found quite often in the wild. It will flower with profusion during summer. When not in flower it is still a striking shrub.
Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’
This shrub is part of the sage family and comes in many different colours and sizes. My favourite is the Mystic Spires. I have had much joy growing it. I only have one plant and it has kept on going. It enjoys a good, hard prune after flowering and will bounce back with much gusto. It is a firm favourite with pollinators.
Agapanthus
Ever since I was a little girl I used to love these flowers. Another firm favourite in the South African garden as it will tolerate heat and will go a bit without water. It is often used in landscaping in residential and commercial areas. It is incredibly striking to see them en-masse. There are so many different varieties now available. They range in size and colour from white, bi-colour and through to indigo.
Coleus Neochilus/Plectranthus - Lobster Bush
This rampant ground cover is a wonderful option to use when needing to fill a large area in a short space of time. It is also incredibly easy to propagate. It is very common in coastal gardens as it can handle wind, sea spray and grows in almost any soil. It thrives in both sun and shade. It has one unfortunate property. It has a very pungent odour when touched. It is there to ward off insects.
It takes a while to learn what will work, but I’ve found that trusting in the stalwarts is always a good choice. Have fun exploring and experimenting.