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The Daily Insight

Is Caryopteris a perennial

Author

Robert Spencer

Published Apr 04, 2026

Turning the corner into fall, many gardeners are looking to add autumn color and plant perennials that will be lasting companions. If you like the color purple, look no further than the sturdy deciduous perennial Caryopteris.

Is Caryopteris a shrub or perennial?

Botanical NameCaryopteris × clandonensisCommon NamesBlue beard, blue mistPlant TypeDeciduous shrub or woody perennialMature Size2 to 4 feet tall with a similar spreadSun ExposureFull sun

Does Caryopteris spread?

Is The Caryopteris Invasive? Although this plant does not appear to be listed as invasive, the seeds are easily spread by wind, running water, birds, and animals.

Is Caryopteris winter hardy?

Caryopteris is a plant that requires little care, even if some practices when seen through will extend the blooming and protect it in winter. Very resilient in the face of drought, cold and most diseases, caryopteris is a hardy ornamental plant.

What does Bluebeard look like?

Beyond Midnight Bluebeard is a drought-tolerant ball of deep blue color. Also called Caryopteris x clandonensis, this shrub packs all the benefits of caryopteris plants but with dark green and glossy foliage, brighter blue flowers and a compact growth.

Is Bluebeard a perennial or annual?

Bluebeard, also called blue mist spirea, is technically a woody shrub. However, it loses leaves in the winter and usually dies back to the ground every year, so it is often treated as a perennial. It mixes very well with other sun-lovingperennials and is great for fall flower color.

What is the bluest Caryopteris?

A compact, mounding, deciduous shrub, valued for its late summer to autumn bloom time. Aromatic, silver backed foliage provides the perfect foil for the deep blue flowers, said to be the bluest of all Caryopteris.

Should you prune Bluebeard?

Pruning Bluebeard Plant These shrubs bloom on new growth, so hard pruning in autumn or early spring won’t affect their flower production. … In autumn, prune back the entire shrub to within 6 inches of the ground, as recommended by the University of Vermont Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

How do you care for Bluebeard?

Grow your Bluebeard plant in full sun or very light shade. Water regularly and thoroughly until the plant is well established, then water moderately. Blue Mist shrubs can be cut back to within a couple inches of the ground in winter or very early in the spring to encourage dense, tightly branched new growth.

Is Bluebeard a shrub?

Bluebeard, Caryopteris, is a drought tolerant shrub that attracts bees, butterflies & hummingbirds. The leaves have a nice sage-like scent, and often contrast from the flowers to create a beautiful combination. Pre Order!

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Is Caryopteris a butterfly bush?

Noted for its striking variegated foliage, Caryopteris divaricata ‘Snow Fairy’ is a compact, bushy deciduous shrub with small lavender-blue flowers in late summer through early fall. They are attractive to butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects.

Where does Caryopteris grow?

Caryopteris are best planted in well-drained soil of loam, chalk or sand within acidic, alkaline or neutral PH levels. Caryopteris will thrive if positioned in an area with access to full sunlight near a warm and sunny wall.

How do you grow Caryopteris?

  1. Choose a sunny to partly shady, well-draining site for your bluebeard. …
  2. Till the planting site to a depth of 12 inches. …
  3. Dig a hole with inward-sloping sides. …
  4. Center the bluebeard in the hole. …
  5. Water often enough to keep the soil moist while bluebeard establishes new roots.

How do you divide Caryopteris?

It is an herbaceous perennial, unlike its woody cousins, and you can cut out a portion of the crown or lift the whole clump and chop it up like any other perennial. Stems can also be rooted out, but since it should be dormant this time of year just lift and divide what you want.

Is Caryopteris poisonous to dogs?

Caryopteris (Caryopteris clandonensis) is not considered toxic to pets and is another gorgeous purple plant you can add in with your traditional fall colors. 10. Pansies (Viola tricolor var. hortensis) are not considered toxic to pets and bring gorgeous fall colors to your yard.

How tall does a Bluebeard shrub grow?

genus nameCaryopterislightSunplant typePerennial Shrubheight1 to 3 feet 3 to 8 feetwidth2 to 4 feet wide

Is Caryopteris native?

Caryopteris (bluebeard; Chinese: 莸属 you shu) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae (formerly often placed in the family Verbenaceae). They are native to east Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia). They are herbaceous plants or small shrubs growing to 1–4 m tall.

Is Caryopteris Evergreen?

This is an evergreen shrub which bears rich violet flowers which are produced on long spikes in summer and autumn.

Is Bluebeard native?

Caryopteris, also known as bluebeard, is a family of shrubs native to Mongolia and northern Asia.

Where is Bluebeard native to?

Native to Mongolia and parts of China and Japan, bluebeard thrives in full sun in its home range of steep hills and dry, infertile soil.

What can I plant with Caryopteris?

The blue flowers of caryopteris combine well with the Profusion Orange zinnia, and both plants are tough in Mississippi’s sweltering heat. Other good companion plants would be lantana, salvias and purple heart.

How fast does Korean spice viburnum grow?

Like most viburnum shrubs, this is a relatively slow grower, adding 1 to 2 feet per year until it reaches its mature size of about 6 feet.

Is Bluebeard a spirea?

The Blue Mist spirea is also called the Bluebeard, and it is a low-mounded, deciduous shrub prized for its late summer flowers and aromatic scent. The blooms have a slight resemblance to blue clouds or mist. This flowering shrub keeps its mounded form throughout the year, and it grows to a height of 3 to 5 feet.

Is Caryopteris drought tolerant?

Caryopteris Grand Bleu is a drought tolerant deciduous shrub and virtually maintenance free. Colorful, long blooming, carefree and easy to grow. A uniform, rounded mound with a manageable habit; it is ideal in large containers or the landscape.

Is Bluebeard shrub Evergreen?

Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Kew Blue’ (Bluebeard) is a compact, deciduous shrub of rounded habit with a profusion of dark blue flowers in late summer and early fall.

Is Bluebeard deer resistant?

Bluebeard straddles the line between perennial and shrub so you can use it in the flower border or in a low-maintenance landscape. … These flowers are also magnets for bees and butterflies. The deer- and rabbit-resistant plants grow 3 feet tall and wide. Hardy from zones 5-9.

Is burning bush shrub deer resistant?

Burning bush is a handsome and rugged plant that will grow in bad soils and tolerate drought. It is deer resistant. … Many varieties of burning bush will grow over ten feet tall and wide if not sheared.

What is Blue Mist plant?

Caryopteris × clandonensis, commonly called bluebeard, blue spirea or blue mist, is a low-mounded, deciduous shrub that is valued for its aromatic foliage and late summer flowers which are said to resemble clouds of blue smoke or mist. … Flowers are very attractive to butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects.

How fast do Fernbush grow?

Unusual, fragrant native shrub The plants are all doing well in lightly-amended clay loam and have some new growth showing. They are on the small side but have roughly doubled in size in six weeks.

What is magic carpet spirea?

Magic Carpet Spirea features showy clusters of hot pink flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer. It has attractive yellow foliage which emerges tomato-orange in spring. The small serrated pointy leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding scarlet in the fall.

Is Caryopteris a good cut flower?

Good Qualities Holds well; Late flowering; Interesting little blue flowers; Form, productive; Beautiful!! Lasts forever in a vase; Heat tolerant.