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The botanical name for the Blue Mist shrub is Caryopteris x clandonensis ( kar - ee - OP - ter - iss , klan - don - nut - sis ) a mounded , moderately low - spring up perennial deciduous shrub sporting sweet-smelling foliage and cloud of soft gentle blossom in late summertime .
The plants ’ genus name is derived from the Greek word , karyon , which means “ addict , ” as well as the Hellenic word of honor , pteron , which means “ wing . ”
This terminal figure bear on to the winged fruit ’s the shrub produces .
The common name for Caryopteris plant include :
The Caryoptis is a fellow member of the Lamiaceae family hail from Mongolia , Japan , Korea , and China .
Blue Mist ( clandonensis ) is a cultivar of this genus .
Caryopteris Blue Mist Shrub Care
Size & Growth
Dark Knight can grow 18″ to 30″ inches in a single twelvemonth .
The maximum top is 3′ groundwork improbable . The plant has a spread of 2′ to 3′ feet wide .
The oval leaves seem slowly in the springtime .
Do n’t worry if your Bluebeard last out bare for a while early in the spring . This is no cause for alarm .
When the leaves do emerge , they will be oval or elliptic .
They are gray / green and slightly toothed with bleary undersides .
When you brush them with your script , they emit a pleasant fragrance .
Flowering & Fragrance
Blue Spirea flower arise in cloud - same clusters from July through former September .
The showy , powdery low blooms are very fragrant and extremelyattractive to beneficial insectssuch as bees , butterflies , and other pollinators .
Light & Temperature
Blue Mist should be planted in full Sunday .
It is winter hardy in USDA hardiness zone 5 - 8 , but the top outgrowth may suffer a second in winter below zona 7 .
If you do live in one of the cool zones within the plants ’ reach , anticipate the stems to decease back to the ground in the winter .
young growth will seem in the spring .
Watering & Feeding
Dark Knight should be keep middling well - watered during the first year .
Once established , these plant are drought patient of and do not ordinarily involve additional lachrymation .
Blue Caryopteris clandonensis needs very niggling in the way of fertiliser .
It is better to fertilize these shrubs with a side fecundation of good compost than to provide plant food .
unreasonable fertilizer stimulates leaf growth and diminish blush production .
Soil & Transplanting
Blue Spirea likes a wanton , loamy , well - drained stain with a electroneutral pH level .
integrate plenty of light constitutive subject into the soil to kick upstairs the correct level of water retention and drain .
Take care to place your young Caryopteris in the planting pickle level with the grunge aerofoil or just slightly higher .
Grooming & Maintenance
In USDA hardiness zones 5 and 6 , you may like to cut back your Bluebeard back to the ground at the end of the growing time of year .
This will prevent damage triggered by winter cold and promotes vigorous ontogeny in the springtime .
intemperately pruning late in autumn is a good plan in zones 7 and 8 , as well .
This case of wintertime direction will not harm flower production and allows you to get a refreshful outset with your Bluebeard every spring .
How To Propagate Caryopteris
Blue Mist grow from semen , and it may ego - sow in ideal conditions .
It is also potential to circularize the plant using gentle - Sir Henry Joseph Wood cutting lately in the springtime .
Blue Mist Shrub Pest or Disease Problems
Dark Knight is not typically bothered by pests when well worry for .
Compromised flora may be troubled by 4 - personal credit line Plant Bugs during June .
This does stimulate unsightly mottling of the leave of absence , but it does n’t make important damage to the works overall .
These hemipterous insect are short - live and will be gone before you need to do anything about them .
If overcrowded or hold back in poorly draining soil , Blue Mist Shrub can suffer from crown rot .
Is The Blue Mist Toxic Or Poisonous?
Blue Mist Shrub has not been report as birth any toxic effects .
Is The Caryopteris Invasive?
Although this works does not seem to be listed as incursive , the seeds are easy spread by fart , run water , birds , and animals .
The Australian authorities is keeping a airless eye on it for invasive potentiality .
Suggested Caryopteris Blue Mist Shrub Uses
With its good looks and pleasant scents , Blue Spirea is a decent choice in mass planting or as a border or container industrial plant .
It is an excellent accession to your bee and pollinator garden .
The soft , blue bloom are fine sources of ambrosia and pollen for good insect in late summer .
