For those of you wondering where I've gotten to...I'm here, and I'm fine, just really, really busy as we get ready for our 10th anniversary Saltscapes Expo. Lots to tell you about while we're also still waiting for the 87 feet of snow that fell in the past two months to melt, but for now, a blast from the past....
We all know that in flowers, blue is the rarest colour. Which means some of us go koo koo for cocapuffs over it. Quite a few of us, actually. That number would include me, of course. From the glorious of the difficult, divaesque, but oh-so-beautiful blue poppy...
To the stately cobalt splendor of blue delphinium...
And even the dainty, delicate, spring chorus of scilla drive mere mortals to frenzies of bountiful blue blossom blissdom.
Well, you know how plant breeders are. They're never content to rest on their laurels, and they've been at work developing some more blue flowers for us to enjoy. The following stealthy, shaky, grainy photos are of a few cultivars that your intrepid correspondent risked life and limb to get photos of for your viewing enjoyment.
For those who are thwarted by growing blue poppies, perhaps you'd like to try this dandy geum, 'Til I'm Blue Cooky'. I think it would work particularly well, like most geums, in full sun with well-drained soil.
For those who are thwarted by growing blue poppies, perhaps you'd like to try this dandy geum, 'Til I'm Blue Cooky'. I think it would work particularly well, like most geums, in full sun with well-drained soil. 
We're always taught that hemerocallis come in every conceivable shade except black and true blue. Well, we can cross the latter off the list with 'Crazy Iovanni', which to the best of my understanding was created by genetical manipulation, introducing the DNA from the blue April Fish into one of the showier of yellow daylilies, 'Fools' Gold.' I wasn't able to ascertain, from my lofty perch in a truffula tree, whether the foliage of this new hemerocallis was evergreen or not.
Ah yes, the blue rose. We've all heard about how some things are as 'rare as blue roses.' Well, once again, the GMO wizards have been at it, splicing some DNA from that blue delphinium with multiple excited protons from the Large Hadron Collider, and zapping them into a pimpernelifolia rose. Meet 'Harison's Blue.'
And apparently pollen from the bluebanded bee, when stolen from a blue Eryngium planum and dipped onto a double white coneflower, yields this blue eyed beauty, 'April BlueNose.' Because I was in deep ninjacover while clambering around in trees, I couldn't hear the breeder say when any of these blue beauties would be released, but I suspect it will be probably around June 31st of next year.
Whew. It's sooooo good to be out of March, isn't it?
Gorgeous flowers and great article. So wonderful that you have been able to collect all of this information for us. That "April Blue Nose" is just wonderful and I'd like to have it in my garden. Can you please tell me which nurseries carry it? Then can you tell me their hours of operation, and phone numbers?
ReplyDeleteSo many different tones of blue. Beautiful. After all this snow, thank you for a whisper of colour and the hope that flowers will bloom.........eventually.
ReplyDeleteCan't remember who said it "You can never be too thin or have too much blue in the garden." I agree. Lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you are still kicking and weren't buried alive.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't make an April Fool of me this time, Jodi. Nice try, though. P. x
ReplyDeletekind of a fuzzy picture, odd, Jodi usually takes great pictures... really? a blue daylily??.... ahh yes, post dated April 1. Good one. :)
ReplyDeleteI feel for a lot of April Fool's jokes this year, and I'm not letting it happen again!
ReplyDelete