Plant(s) of the Month: The Blues (March 2026)

My garden has suddenly come alive with spring colour, mainly yellow, mauve and blue flowers, but I’ve had to work at it: the result being some gorgeously blue-flowering plants purchased (as a contrast to the in-situ yellows) for growing in containers. They have worked their magic, basking in the sunshine and enticing me into the garden with their beauty and my admiration!

This year, I decided, firstly, to recreate my spring ‘blue garden’ in a galvanised planter, first digging out unwanted material. I chose blue flowering plants with different shapes and sizes of flowers for harmony and these are the varieties I planted (including a purple Viola and Agapanthus to give depth to the arrangement):

Veronica umbrosa ‘Georgia Blue’ (alpine speedwell)
A enchanting little ground cover perennial, preferring full sun, if possible, and flowering during the spring months.

Viola x wittrockiana (pansy ‘Blue Blotch’)
This variety was chosen for the size of the flowers and its tones of mid-blue and inky-blue, with a yellow centre. I think the flowers are lovely but so does something else, as they are being nibbled and having a feast at the moment!

Anemone blanda blue-flowered (Grecian / winter windflower)
These are a shade of violet-blue, flowering prolifically over a period of weeks. An herbaceous perennial of various colours, often seen spreading beneath deciduous trees. In my container, I will treat them as annuals, as overtime they disappear for me. When the sun comes out, these enchanting flowers open their petals wide and close them in the evenings.

In a terracotta container on my display table are the following:

Salvia rosmarinus (Prostrata Group) (boule rosemary)
This prostrate Rosemary has been flowering for weeks and weeks, the flowers a soft shade of blue, delightful to the eye. Up close, the powerful aroma from the foliage reminds me that I need to use the leaves for cooking! In the same pot a sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis) has self-seeded, which can be potted on for our 17 May Plant Sale.

Anemone coronia (De Caen Group) (poppy anemone)
Last year’s plant flowered for two to three months, with the assistance of tomato fertiliser, so I was keen to get another this year and treat it as an annual, as they look fabulous on a garden table. Often the corms can rot away, not liking wet or frosty conditions, so I was surprised to find last year’s plant putting on new growth. Whilst repotting it, I noticed its sandy-soil conditions. Perhaps that’s the secret?

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
This is growing in the ground and 6-foot tall, adjacent to the above two plants. It has survived the winter (in a very sheltered position) and produced the a flowers over the last few months, adding much needed colour during the winter season.

But what I find so attractive about the above three plants is the harmonious combination of the paler-blue rosemary, the rich-blue of Anemone De Caen and the deeper blues of the Salvia that make the three shades of blue look so wonderful together.

Muscari armeniacum ‘Valerie Finnis’ (grape hyacinth)
These very pale-blue grape hyacinths have been growing in the same pot in a different location for a number of years, in shade, getting no sun at all! And the plants love it, producing more flowers year-on-year. Like most white flowers, their paleness stands out in shade, accentuating their beauty.

Anna L