Caryopteris clandonensis Summer Sorbet - Bluebeard

Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Summer Sorbet'® is an interesting variety of blue spirea for its unusual and bright yellow variegated foliage. Like other Caryopteris, this small deciduous bush blooms rather late with clusters of numerous lavender-blue flowers powdered with stamens. It is a sun-loving plant that thrives in well-drained, even dry soil and is hardy under these conditions. It can be planted in pots on the terrace, in a sunny flower bed, a large rock garden, or even in a small hedge.

Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Summer Sorbet' is one of the hybrids obtained by cross-breeding the Asian bush called 'Barbe-bleue' (Caryopteris incana) and the more hardy Caryopteris mongolica, native to colder regions of Mongolia and northern China. All these bushes belong to the verbena family, like verbenas.

The 'Summer Sorbet' cultivar forms a wide, bushy shrub, reaching a height of 80cm (31.5in) and a width of 1.20m (3ft 11in), depending on the growing conditions. It flowers in the second half of summer, until the beginning of autumn. Its inflorescences appear from August to September-October on the upper half of the current year's branches. They consist of countless small violet buds gathered in dense whorls. The buds open into small lavender-blue flowers with prominent stamens. This flowering is particularly attractive to bees and nectar-feeding insects, and the bush is often visited by numerous colourful butterflies. The deciduous foliage is composed of thin, triangular, aromatic leaves with irregularly dentate margins, arranged oppositely on straight stems. They have a dark green-grey colour with yellow margins. When crushed, they release a powerful resinous scent. This deciduous foliage appears in spring and falls in autumn.

Caryopteris 'Summer Sorbet' is suitable for growing in pots or as a low hedge, alongside other frugal summer-flowering shrubs such as Potentillas, Ceratostigma griffithii, lavenders, dwarf buddleias, and shrubby salvias. A vibrant scene can be created in late summer by combining Caryopteris with sunflowers, evening primroses, Epilobium canum, Aster turbinellus, or other more vigorous asters. A group of 3 bushes surrounding white or yellow repeat-flowering roses is a splendid sight in September, as their different styles and colours of flowering perfectly complement each other.