5 bushes with blue-tinged foliage
for a calming and unique atmosphere in your garden
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Blue is said to be the most loved colour in the world. Soothing and reassuring, it evokes the waters of the sea, the beauty of the sky, and is also present in nature through flowers and foliage. While blue is classified among the cool colours, it also adds depth to the garden and creates the impression of a larger space. Perfect for small gardens or balconies! Discover our selection of bushes with blue-tinged foliage to play with the shades of this popular hue and bring freshness to your outdoor space.
Eucalyptus 'Baby Blue' - Silver Gum, unique and fragrant
The Eucalyptus ‘Baby Blue’ features very blue evergreen foliage, adding a soothing and original touch to a garden. Its dense foliage is formed of small round leaves covered in a silvery-white bloom. During its flowering period from May to June, cream-white pom-poms appear along the branches. The flowers are spherical and consist of tightly packed cream-white stamens. They bloom in groups of three between the leaves, eventually giving way to green cone-shaped fruits. The Eucalyptus ‘Baby Blue’ can reach a height of 2.5 metres and a width of 1.5 metres. Its pyramidal and very compact habit, along with its fragrance when its foliage is crushed and its bark that exfoliates in large ribbons, adds a certain charm. Initially selected for making cut flower arrangements, it is now also used in gardens as it is easy to grow and withstands frost down to -10°C, provided it is planted in well-drained soil. It adapts to all soils, as long as they are not excessively calcareous and are very well-drained.
In a garden, the Eucalyptus ‘Baby Blue’ can bring an exotic touch, paired with other evergreen bushes with silvery-grey foliage such as the Callistemon (x) salignus or Perth Pink Bottlebrush with its curious intense pink brush-like flowers. It can also be combined with the Leptospermum ‘Karo Silver Ice’ or tea tree, which has a bright flowering composed of numerous small cup-shaped flowers in immaculate white.
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Designing a blue gardenBlue Spruce - Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa', a remarkable blue
The Blue Spruce or Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’ is a bushy, mounding shrub that stands out for the extraordinary blue of its young shoots in spring. The foliage then takes on a silvery hue. Small in size, it reaches 1.5 metres at maturity and is primarily planted in pots or rockeries. It grows slowly and offers an elegant, very regular conical habit, with horizontally tiered branches. The Blue Spruce produces thick, short shoots with spiky needles that resemble brushes. Its young shoots are a very intense light blue, frosted with silver, and its bark is purplish-grey and scaly. It enjoys full sun and well-drained soil, even calcareous. This essential conifer variety is easy to cultivate from north to south of France. It is hardy down to -29°C and tolerates drought.
The Blue Spruce – Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’ looks stunning in a contemporary garden or rockery. It pairs beautifully with a stone wall and the geometric lines of a swimming pool. It can be combined with blue aubrietas or heathers, such as the summer heather – Calluna vulgaris H.E Beale. It also pairs well with blue fescues – Festuca glauca ‘Intense Blue’ or other conifers with different habits and colours.
The Scale Juniper - Juniperus squamata 'Meyeri', a beautiful feathery effect
The Scale Juniper – Juniperus squamata ‘Meyeri’ features blue foliage and an original bushy habit. Its branches are composed of upright limbs that gracefully curve at their tips, giving it a feathery and bluish appearance. In winter and autumn, under the influence of cold, it takes on a beautiful purplish-grey hue. It grows slowly and can reach 2 metres in all directions by the age of 10. Its silhouette is very spreading in its early years. The foliage is grey-blue with lighter and very silvery young shoots. It is decorative all year round and can be grown as a specimen or in bonsai. Hardy down to –29°C, it is low-maintenance and enjoys full sun and well-drained soil that remains cool. This montane species is only sensitive to very hot and dry climates.
With its highly graphic silhouette, the Scale Juniper – Juniperus squamata ‘Meyeri’ fits well into a garden with a contemporary aesthetic. It can be planted as a specimen or in groups to form a small medium-sized forest. As it has a shallow root system, the Scale Juniper can be challenging to pair with perennial plants. It can be combined with grasses or heathers.
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Blue Moon' - Sawara Cypress, an astonishing blue ball
The Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Blue Moon’ – Sawara Cypress forms a surprising, compact, and regular blue ball that does not require pruning. It is a dwarf variety that grows slowly, reaching 80 cm in height and width at ripeness. Its evergreen foliage, fine and intensely silvery blue, is very soft to the touch. It turns bluish green if in the shade. Its tight branches are flexible and slightly trailing. The young shoots are light green, contrasting with the adult leaves, which are scaly, pointed, and darker. Its bark is dark red with a fibrous appearance. This small conifer is valued for its beautiful shape and lovely colour. It harmoniously fits into a mineral garden, a rockery, or can be grown in a pot. In terms of planting, it thrives in full sun or partial shade, in cool, light, well-drained soil that is lime-free. It is hardy down to -15 °C.
In a garden, the naturally rounded shape of the Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Blue Moon’ – Sawara Cypress can be highlighted by pairing it with conifers of columnar, pyramidal, or conical shapes. It can also serve as a companion to small roses or peonies.
Podium-leaved Andromeda - Andromeda polifolia 'Blue Lagoon'
The Podium-leaved Andromeda – Andromeda polifolia ‘Blue Lagoon’ is a small bush with beautiful intense blue evergreen foliage. Initially silver-blue, its leaves turn a bluish green. It has a rounded habit and forms a small finely ramified cushion, covered with small linear leaves reminiscent of those of rosemary. From April to June, it is adorned with numerous clusters of small bell-shaped pink flowers. The pink of the flowers provides a lovely contrast to the blue of the leaves. Small in size, the Podium-leaved Andromeda reaches 50 cm in height and 60 cm in width at ripeness. This variety is perfect as groundcover, at the edge of a flowerbed, or grown in a pot. Very hardy, it withstands temperatures down to -20°C. It prefers to be planted in acidic, cool, and moist, well-drained soil, and in a partially shaded position. It is only sensitive to excessive heat and drought, which can cause it to lose its leaves.
The Podium-leaved Andromeda – Andromeda polifolia ‘Blue Lagoon’ looks wonderful in a rockery or at the edge of a flowerbed, where it creates elegant touches of blue. Pair it with other heather soil shrubs, such as camellias, rhododendrons or azaleas. It can also be combined with other conifers with original prostrate or upright forms to play on the differences in silhouettes.
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