Add Rich Color To Your Garden With Blue Perennial Flowers

Written by Kathy Burns-Millyard


Blue flowers are some ofrepparttar most striking plants around and can add a rich splash of color to any garden. Plant them in a cluster of all blue or mix them in with other flowers for a rainbow of color.

When planting flowers, it is important to remember to followrepparttar 141185 instructions onrepparttar 141186 tag forrepparttar 141187 plant. Always buy plants that will thrive inrepparttar 141188 conditions in which you intend to grow them. A plant that loves sun won't do well in a shady area and you will only be disappointed withrepparttar 141189 results.

When planning your garden, be aware ofrepparttar 141190 bloom time ofrepparttar 141191 flowers. Planting perennials with different bloom times near each other will insure a garden that has blooms all season long. Remember also to plan forrepparttar 141192 height ofrepparttar 141193 plants, puttingrepparttar 141194 taller ones inrepparttar 141195 back.

Below is a list of favorite blue flowering plants that you might want to consider for your garden:

Polemonuim, Blue Pearl - A compact plant with deep sky blue flowers that grows to 10". It blooms in late spring to early summer. Plant in partial shade and in well drained soil.

Blue Sea Holly - This dramatic plant has a lavender blue cone like flower with long spiked petals. It grows to 30" and is a favorite for dried flower arrangements. Plant in full sun - blooms in mid to late summer.

Delphinium, Butterfly Blue - Bright blue delicate flowers adorn this plant that blooms in early to mid summer. It reaches 10" tall and prefers a sunny location with rich moist soil.

Campanula, Blue Carpet - Bright blue to lilac colored flowers bloom for weeks inrepparttar 141196 middle of summer. This low growing perennial grows to 4" and prefers full sun with well drained soil.

Penstemon, Blue Buckle - This plant has tubular shaped blooms in blue to purple and flowers in mid summer to early fall. It grows to 15" and likes well drained soil with full or partial sun.

The Rich History of Chrysanthemums

Written by Kathy Burns-Millyard


Did you know that those lush, colorful blooms called chrysanthemums are rooted in beliefs of human immortality and perfection? Todayrepparttar "mum" graces gardens, cut flower arrangements and even salads (yes mums taste great), but they were taken much more seriously after T'ao Yuan Ming started it all in China around 500 A.D.

Over long periods of careful cross-pollination and selection, he developed stunning varieties ofrepparttar 141184 flower and when he died, his birthplace was renamed Chuhsien. The City of Chrysanthemums. His efforts had produced a legacy that would bring pleasure to this world for centuries.

When China importedrepparttar 141185 first chrysanthemums to Japan,repparttar 141186 people there bestowed many honors upon them. The Japanese wrote legends. To sip dew fromrepparttar 141187 petals meant long life. To eatrepparttar 141188 flower meant immortality. Philosophers said thatrepparttar 141189 systematic opening ofrepparttar 141190 "ray" flowers symbolized bothrepparttar 141191 sun andrepparttar 141192 perfection of orderly life.

By 800 A.D.repparttar 141193 chrysanthemum had become so prestigious that only royal and noble families were permitted to cultivate it. Amongrepparttar 141194 highest honors that could be bestowed in Japan was admittance torepparttar 141195 Order ofrepparttar 141196 Chrysanthemum... a reward granted to nobility for service torepparttar 141197 Emperor.

In great contrast to this,repparttar 141198 "mum" didn't make much of an impression when traders introduced it to Europe inrepparttar 141199 1600s. But when in finally did catch on, it became one ofrepparttar 141200 most popular blooms for both flower shops and gardens.

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