Most associate the color BLUE with the sky, the sea, and an endless horizon. Blue colors evoke feelings of tranquility, calm, and a peaceful state of mind. “Blue Skies” brings out happiness and smiles in people, particularly after consecutive days of dreary weather. Contrarily, a blue mood may elicit feelings of sadness and depression.

The BLUE color spectrum ranges between violet and cyan. In the gardening world few shrubs produce blue flowers, most in the pale blue to lavender range. Below are nine (9) of the best “blues” in the world of shrub flower world.

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis), aka blue mist shrub, blooms in late summer into autumn on this 2-3 feet tall shrub (zones 5-9). Cultivars: ‘Longwood Blue’, ‘Beyond Midnight’.

Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.) cultivars produce numerous lavender blue flowers. Popular varieties include: 1. many catawba rhododendrons (Rhododendron catawbiense) produce lavender-pink flowers from April to early June (zones 4 to 8); 2. PJM rhododendron (Rhododendron x ‘PJM’), bears lavender-pink flowers in early April (zones 4-8); 3. ‘Blue Diamond’ and ‘Blue Baron’ are compact 3 foot high hybrid cultivars bearing blue-lavender flowers in late spring (zones 7 – 9).

Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) are available in several color shades of lavender, blue, reds, and white. One of the almost blue cultivars is S. hyacinthiflora Scentara^® with double blue blooms (zones 2-8).

Butterfly bush (Buddleia x) is a subshrub. ‘Blue Heaven’, ‘Blue Chip’, ‘Blue Knight’ are among a long list of blue-flowered buddleias; depending on cultivar grow 5-12 feet high and some even taller (zones 5-9).

Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) produces huge mophead flowers in summer on 3 to 4 feet tall plants in full sun to partial shade, depending on where you garden. Best blue cultivars: ‘Nikko Blue’, ‘Nantucket Blue’, Endless Summer™ series, Let’s Dance™ Blue Jangles, Let’s Dance™ Rhythmic Blue. (Zones:5-9).

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is an old-fashioned 8 to 12 feet tall shrub with lacy blooms from summer to fall. Blue cultivars: ‘Blue Bird’, ‘Blue Chiffon’, ‘Lavender Chiffon’ (Zones 5-8).

Lavenders (Lavandula spp.) is a perennial subshrub treasured for their floral beauty and fragrance and also purposed for culinary, medicinal, and decorative potpourri. Select from blue-purple flowered ‘Mumstead’ English Lavender (L. angustifolia) (zones 5 – 8) and some French / Spanish lavender (L. stoechas) varieties (zones 7b-9).

Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is a 6-12 foot tall shrub or 12-16 foot small tree. Cultivars: dwarf: ‘Blue Diddley’ and ‘Blue Puffball’ grow 3 – 6 feet tall; ‘Shoal Creek’ (12 feet tall).

California Mountain Lilac (Ceanothus ‘Concha’) bears purple or blue flowers that are highly fragrant (Zones 7 -10).