Garden Flower Gardens 20 Types of Blue Flowers That Add a Pop of Color to Your Yard Add this rare flower color to your garden with expert-recommended plants that bloom in various shades of blue. By Michelle Mastro Michelle Mastro Michelle Mastro is a writer and author specializing in home and garden topics. She has written for Architectural Digest, The Spruce, Midwest Living, and other publications. Editorial Guidelines Published on June 21, 2024 Close Photo: Jackie Parker Photography Blooms come in a variety of hues, but in the flower world, blue is a rare shade. Plants can’t create blue pigments, which is why blue flowers can be hard to find. If you’re looking for a soothing indigo or nice sapphire blue blossom to try in the garden, look no further. We chatted with an expert gardener to round up all the most beautiful blue flowers to add a pop of color to your garden. Carissa Kasper, a gardener at Seed & Nourish, where she creates and cares for kitchen gardens and their cultivators. 01 of 20 Lobelia Irina Chayko / Getty Images Lobelia (Lobelia erinus) is grown as an annual flower in many climates. It comes in a true sky blue, but can grow pink, red, purple, and white flowers. In the garden, it tends to sprawl out. "It works great in containers as a spiller to enliven an arrangement with masses of dainty flowers," says Carissa Kasper, gardener at Seed and Nourish. She recommends two rich blue varieties, Crystal Palace and Regatta Sky Blue. Zones: 10 to 11Mature size: 6 to 9 inches tall x 9 to 10 inches wideCare requirements: Full sun to partial shade; moist but well-drained soil Find Your Gardening Zone 02 of 20 Delphinium happykamill / Getty Images Talk about big bold blues. Delphinium (Delphinium) comes in towering columns of blue flowers. Kaspeer recommends the variety Kestrel or a sky-blue shade like Langdon’s Pandora. "Flowers bloom from late spring through summer, making fantastic thrillers in your container arrangements or a cottage garden," says Kasper. Zones: to 9Mature size: 6 inches to 7 feet tallCare Requirements: Full sun to partial shade; loam, well-draining soil 03 of 20 Borage naturaltexture / Getty Images A great companion plant to many garden vegetables like strawberries, borage (Borago officinalis) has star-shaped flowers that add color and interest to a yard. "Easily grown by seed, they readily self-sow," says Kasper. Zones: 2 to 11Mature size: 1 to 3 feet tall x 9 to 18 inches wideCare Requirements: Full sun to partial shade; well-draining soil 04 of 20 Salvia Getty Images Salvia (Salvia sylvestris) is a pretty annual. "The Black and Bloom salvia variety produces long-lasting spikes of rich-blue flowers that are incredibly attractive in containers and the landscape alike," says Kasper. Zones: 4 to 8Mature size: 1 to 2 feet tall x 2 feet wideCare Requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil 15 Colorful Flowers That Will Turn Your Yard Into an Artist's Canvas 05 of 20 Lupin Getty Images With the common name of bluebonnet, it’s no surprise lupine (Lupinus x hybrida) is known for its blue flowers, but it also adds nutrients to the ground. "As a member of the legume family, they can help fix nitrogen in the soil—great for soil remediation," says Kasper. Zones: 4 to 8Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall x 1 to 2 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist but well-drained soil 06 of 20 Iris Clive Nichols / Getty Images Iris (Iris germanica) is a large flower genus that includes a range of blue varieties. The bearded iris (Iris germanica) is the most popular because it’s so easy to grow and replants itself. "The rhizomes or bulbs spread year to year, so they are a gift that keeps giving," says Kasper. Zones: 3 to 9Mature size: 12 to 40 inches tall x 1 to 2 feet wideCare requirements: Partial sun to shade; well-drained soil 11 Colorful Perennial Flowers That Will Thrive All Summer 07 of 20 Hydrangea Getty / masahiro Makino The color of a hydrangea (Hydrangea spp.) depends on its soil. "To produce blue blooms, choose Bigleaf and Mountain hydrangeas and grow them in acidic soil," says Kasper. For even more blue in your yard, pair the flowers with other acidic-loving blue plants like blueberries. Zones: 5 to 9Mature size: 2 to 20 feet tall x2 to 6 feet wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist but well-drained soil How to Grow and Care for Hydrangeas That Yield Big, Beautiful Blooms Every Season 08 of 20 Cornflower Frank Lukasseck / Getty Images Known as Bachelor’s Button, cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) comes in many shades including blue, and is very easy to grow. "Cornflowers are quick to grow from seed making them an economic and prolific choice," says Kasper. "Take care where you plant them as they can spread easily." Zones: 2 to 11Mature size: 12 to 48 inches tall x 10 to 12 inches wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist but well-drained soil How to Grow and Care for Coneflower, a Native Perennial That Brings Color and Pollinators to Your Garden 09 of 20 Lungwort Getty Images Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.) flowers are bell-shaped and start out pinkish in hue until they mature, when they become violet-blue. Not only pretty, but lungwort is simple to maintain. It replants itself, as its rhizomatous roots gradually spread across a yard. Zones: 5 to 9Mature size: 6 to 12 inches high x 1 to 2 inches wideCare requirements: Full sun to part shade; moist, well-drained soil 10 of 20 Liverleaf Westend61 / Getty Images Liverleaf (Anemone americana) is a low-growing perennial with blue flowers verging on a lavender shade. In winter, the plant’s leaves go brown but will eventually turn green again in spring. Zones: 3 to 8mature size: 6 inches high x 9 inches wideCare requirements: Part shade; moist, well-drained soil 11 of 20 Nigella Billy_Fam / Getty Images Due to its delicate foliage and misty blue flowers, nigella (Nigella damascena) has a common name of "love-in-a-mist." The blues come in a range of colors, adding visual interest to a cottage garden. Zones: 2 to 11Mature size: 8 to 20 inches tall x 3 to 6 inches wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; well-drained soil How to Create an English Cottage Garden Wherever You Live 12 of 20 Bluebeard Getty Images Complete with soft gray foliage and blue blooms, Bluebeard (Caryopteris × clandonensis) is a beautiful perennial flowering shrub. Its pale blue flowers are some of the few genuinely blue in the flower world. Zones: 6 to 9Mature size: 2 to 4 feet tall and wideCare requirements: Full sun; moist but well-drained soil 13 of 20 Globe Thistle marcophotos / Getty Images Globe thistle (Echinops spp.) has amazing blue blossoms. "These electric-blue round flowers on powdery-blue stems are almost hard to believe are real," says Kasper. The plants are also great to pop into a garden because "they’re extremely drought tolerant and easy to care for," she says. Zones: 3 to 9Mature size: 2 to 5 feet tall x 1 to 4 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil 14 of 20 False Indigo The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova False indigo (Baptisia australis) is both pretty and useful for a garden. "These pollinator-attractors form spires of teardrop-shaped indigo blooms on highly attractive foliage," says Kasper. "And as a member of the legume family, it is a nitrogen-fixer." Zones: 3 to 9Mature size: 4 to 5 feet tall by 3 to 4 feet wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist well-drained soil 15 of 20 Hyacinth Lisa Stokes / Getty Images Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) comes in brilliant blue in addition to other shades like white, purple, pink, and red. Hyacinths are bulb plants, so they come back every year and self-divide underground, appearing in early spring just in time for Easter. Zones: 4 to 8Mature size: 6 to 12 feet tall x 3 to 6 feet wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist well-drained soil 16 of 20 African Lilly Christiane Sesselmann/EyeEm/Getty Images Coming in clusters of white or blue flowers, African lilly (Agapanthus) has tall stalks, adding a sense of height to your yard. They are also rabbit and deer-resistant, but still attract plenty of butterflies and other pollinators. Zones: 7 to 10Mature size: 3 feet tall x 2 feet wideCare requirements: Full to partial shade; sandy well-drained soil 16 Pollinator Plants That Will Attract Birds, Bees, and Butterflies to Your Garden 17 of 20 Blue Star weisschr / Getty Images Known for its star-shaped flowers, blue star (Amsonia) is native to many regions of North America, so they are easy to grow and maintain. The flowers are small but pretty and bloom for many weeks in spring. By winter, the foliage will also put on a show, changing to yellowish gold depending on the variety. Zones: 3-11Size: 2 to 3 feet tall by 2 to 3 feet wideCare Requirements: Full to partial shade; sand, chalk, clay, and loam soils 18 of 20 Gentians Gentiana dahurica blooms dark blue in late summer. Westend61 / Getty Images Gentians (Gentiana) are woodland plants that prefer cooler spaces. They tend to be late season blooms but spread out, covering a larger area, even if for a short time. Zones: 4-8Size: 1 to 3 feet tall by 6 to 12 feet wideCare Requirements: Full sun to part shade; moist, well-drained soil 19 of 20 Siberian Squill IngaL / Getty Images Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) lies dormant during winter but is quick to reappear in spring. As an early bloomer, not only does it usher in blue to a new spring garden but it will also be less likely to fall prey to summer pests or insects. Zones: 2-8Size: 6 inches tall by 2 inches wideCare Requirements: Full sun to part shade; well-drained soil 20 of 20 Blue Spur Alisa Gabliya With blue colors verging on purple, blue spur (Plectranthus barbatus) has tall blossoms and vibrant green foliage. If it gets enough sun and is planted in the right climate, this plant is an easy addition to any garden. Zones: 9-11Size: 5 to 8 feet tall by 5 to 8 feet wideCare Requirements: Full sun to partial sun; moist but well-drained soil Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit