It's notoriously hard to grow anything blue in a flower bed. Not only do very few species naturally produce a blue pigment, but even the best will let you down if the soil conditions aren't right.
If you have a garden or some empty flower pots that have been begging for blue, give these species some love and you're sure to get some brilliant blooms!
Delphinium is a standout for your garden. These plants flower in cone-shaped clusters on long stalks that rise above the average height of garden plants. Put them near the back of a flower bed and make sure they're staked for stability.
They work best in small groups that aren't too crowded. Ideally, you can have a spray of Delphinium growing as a backdrop for shorter flowers, with complimentary colors in front.
Apart from its adorable name, love-in-a-mist is a charming accent to flower beds where you need a subtle touch of blue. The single blooms produce a pale blue flower that's almost entirely surrounded by spiky green spray, creating the "in a mist" effect that gives it its name.
This spray looks like a nest of thorns, but they're (relatively) soft to the touch and won't hurt you. They're fragile, however, and should be handled with care.
Also known as frost flowers, asters are a great choice for late in the growing season. Plant these dark blue perennials in late October or throughout November, and watch them blossom until nearly Christmas.
The petals resemble a blue daisy, but they come in with a much darker blue with some black accents. During the summer, they'll produce a sweet aroma and draw bees from all over.
Orange, red, and yellow poppies are a dime a dozen and grow almost anywhere. The pale-blue Himalayan, on the other hand, likes cool air and frequent waterings in loose soil. These grow best in New England, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest, where you can find them growing wild by the roadside.
In warmer climates, consider growing them indoors or under a shady awning in a corner of your garden.
The Greeks had three words for love: eros, philia, and agape. Of the three, agape was the most highly regarded. Lily of the Nile's Latin name is Agapanthus, and it has traditionally been given by people who are really head-over-heels in love.
These grow in a spray on the end of a stalk and do best in wet soil with a lot of clay.
Hydrangeas can play tricks on you if you need a particular color. The exact shade you get from these varies with the acidity of the soil. If you desire the bluest of blue, try planting in an indoor-only clay pot and keeping the soil at a pH of 5.2-5.5.
Super easy to grow and hardy as a linebacker, Columbine presents a bright-white bloom in the center of larger blue petals.
This perennial is a great choice for gardens where you'd like to see some hummingbirds, since it produces a lot of very sweet, energy-rich nectar for them to sip.
Globe thistles come in as fuzzy blue puffballs on sturdy green stalks. These are ground zero for butterflies and bees alike, and they hold up well throughout hot summers. If you like to dry your flowers, the globe thistle keeps its shape well and lasts months under the right conditions.
If there's a damp and shady spot somewhere in your garden that you're not sure how to populate, remember the sturdy forget me not. These cheery, five-petal blossoms are ironically plant-and-forget specialists, since they need minimal care and hardly ever fail to bloom throughout the summer for you.
If you need to fill a spot with something blue, and you don't have all year to get it, consider planting an anemone bulb. These succulent blue flowers bloom in less than three months and will routinely give you upwards of 20 flowers per bulb. The colors are pretty bold, with royal blue petals transitioning toward regal purple near the center of the blossom.