Caryopteris x clandonensis / Blue Mist Shrub

Planted 'Blue Mist' in spring 2008.
Added 'Worcester Gold' in spring 2009.

Light, wispy, airy shrub, late summer bloomer.  Caryopteris is a plant that I notice in winter. It has a light, starburst effect that is pretty against the snow.

Nice gray green foliage and amethyst jewel-like blooms that bees swarm over. Rejuvenate nearly to the ground: cut back to four to five leaf nodes above the ground in early spring (blooms on new growth).

Planted 'Blue Mist' from Gledhill in 2008 beneath the paperbark maple at the top of the driveway. I added a cutting slip of that shrub to the patio wall in 2009 and one in Meadow's Edge.

Aug. 27 2010  One of the cuttings from the original Blue Mist, added to the patio wall

The dried stems and seedheads are structural and eye catching in winer, so leave them standing until early spring cutback.

Don’t fertilize, this gets too leggy if too rich.

In spring ‘09 I added a 'Worcester Gold' from Bosco's to the Birch Garden. The light lavender blooms against the light yellow foliage is a little vague in my opinion.

Worcester's Gold on 9/11/11

9/2/11

6/1/12 - 'Worcester's Gold'

'Worcester's Gold' planted in the Birch Garden is a much smaller plant than the species caryopteris by the patio wall or under the paperbark maple. It's a round, golden ball in early June, and it gets larger but not by much. It may be held back by being crowded here, but I think it is just a smaller variety. It never gets the big starburst form.

I don't really notice 'Worcester's Gold' in bloom since it is not as big, and it really is crowded behind the other plants in the Birch Garden (and I am not crazy about the lavender flowers and yellow foliage combination.)

The bigger caryopteris by the patio wall is a reliable bloomer in late summer, and always pleases me with its tons of amethyst jewel blooms and its gray-green leaves. The bees go wild.

9/1/13

And then in late fall I like its dried shape and form.

11/21/13

When 'Worcester's Gold' leafs out in spring, it is really very golden, and pops with the purples and crimsons of June.

6/10/14

8/26/14