About
Caryopteris x clandonensis Blue Empire ('Elst33'PBR) is a deciduous shrub that typically reaches a height of approximately 1 meter. It features a dense, bushy growth form and boasts slender, grey-green foliage. In late summer to early autumn, it produces fluffy clusters of deep blue blooms, which emerge from the upper leaf axils and the tips of the stems.
About the genus
Caryopteris includes both deciduous shrubs and herbaceous perennials, characterized by their fragrant, uncomplicated leaves. These plants produce small blue or white flowers that appear in dense clusters in the axils during late summer and autumn.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, Wildlife gardens, Gravel garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny sheltered spot; ideal against a sunny wall. Some drought tolerance once established. Will not tolerate wet, poorly drained soil
- Pruning
- Flowers on new growth so can be cut back hard in spring, see pruning group 6
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood cuttings from spring to mid-summer, semi-ripe cuttings from mid- to late summer or hardwood cuttings from late autumn to mid-winter. As this plant is protected by Plant Breeders' Rights, any propagation should be for personal rather than commercial use
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to capsid bug
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus