Blue Flower painting from my sister.

Yesterday was my sister’s birthday and I couldn’t help but remember one of our most interesting childhood moments together.  We were out walking and for some reason we were talking about blue flowers.  Actually, we were questioning whether blue flowers even existed because in our young lives we hadn’t seen any. 

In the exact moment that we were declaring blue flowers didn’t exist, we glanced down to see something blue... At first we thought, Oh! A blue flower!  But then it moved!  To our utmost surprise, we had stumbled on a small blue budgie.  The little bird must have escaped through someone’s window.  We were astonished at the coincidence of our conversation with this bizarre discovery.

Fast forward a week and we had since brought the budgie home, named it "Flower" and were returning our new little friend to its owners. (The people had answered the ad our parents put in the newspaper about the lost bird).  Of course we were sad to see it go. 

Just like blue flowers, blue birds are not that common, but... they do exist!  Here are some ideas for blue-flowering plants to add some uniqueness to your garden or your bouquets!

California Lilac (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus) – medium to large-sized evergreen shrub with clusters of cobalt blue flowers in spring. Good for dry, sunny spots and tends not to be on the menu for deer.

 Bigleaf Hydrangea  (Hydrangea macrophylla) – medium-sized deciduous shrub with rounded blue floral clusters in summer. The colour of these flowers depends on the soil pH. The plant will grow blue flowers in acidic soil and pink flowers in alkaline soil.  {photo credit: Sei on Unsplash}

Delphinium & Larkspur – perennial and annual varieties with tall spires of blue flowers. Several shades of blue, as well as mauve, pink, and white also exist. These are definitely a favourite for the landscape and the vase!  The hummingbirds love them too.

Brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla) – perennial for shadier spots with heart-shaped leaves and airy blue flower sprays similar to forget-me-nots in the spring.  Another beautiful landscape plant that also adds something unique to a bouquet.

 Lithodora (Lithodora diffusa) – low evergreen ground cover for sunny gardens that becomes covered with blue flowers in spring.  There is the deep cobalt blue hue or a newer variety (pictured here) with a more subdued blue-white blend.

I love blue flowers because they remind me of my sister and that bizarre day we found the budgie. They also remind me that life can send us surprises and that sometimes all we need to do is accept the unexpected.

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Kinglet Consulting offers residential landscape design in Nanaimo, BC.  We also love to help others learn to garden.  Get in touch if you have any questions about how to care for your own landscape or are interested in a garden design consultation.