About

This compact, upright shrub features lance-shaped leaves in a dark grey-green hue, accented by creamy white borders. In summer, it produces an abundance of violet-blue blooms that attract butterflies and bees with their rich nectar supply.

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

Moist but well-drained, 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

5-10 years

Suggested uses

Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden, City and courtyard gardens, Coastal, Wildlife gardens

Care notes

Cultivation

Best grown in moderately fertile soil, in a sunny and sheltered position. It is heat tolerant, and once established, fairly drought tolerant, too. Not well suited to wet, poorly drained soils

Pruning

Cut back hard each spring, to within 2 leaf buds of old growth. Weak stems should be cut back to the base. There maybe some dieback in cold winters, cut back to the base in spring

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings, or sow seeds in cold frames

Pest resistance

May be susceptible to capsid bugs and mealybugs

Disease resistance

May be susceptible to honey fungus