Over the last 15 years a lot of new varieties of Caryopteris have appeared and where we once grew all there were we no longer can. They all need well drained soil (not Sussex clay) and thrive on chalk. Of the traditional varieties C. x clandonensis ‘Arthur Simmonds’ is the typical pale blue that you expect and it flowers from late July making plants about 1.5m high with long, silvery grey foliage. Compared with this, C.c ‘Heavenly Blue is very similar but the flowers are a slightly deeper blue, and then all the other varieties are much deeper in colour and the foliage is less grey. ‘incana’ is a long established type and is much more compact while ‘Ferndown’ is also compact and starts to flower a month later than all the others. ‘First Choice’, ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘Grand Bleu’ are all larger growers with darker blue flowers.
Yellow foliaged varieties are proliferating – we are currently offering ‘Sunshine Blue’ which is a sport of C. incana so has shorter, broader leaves which are lobed rather than serrate and the flowers are deep blue. The foliage is a true gold rather than the lemony colour of ‘Worcester Gold’, which we could grow if anybody wanted us to. If the hardiness of Caryopteris is an issue for you then ‘Sunshine Blue’ should do better than the C. clandonensis types. This sport arose on a plant we had supplied and has netted good royalties for the nurseryman who noticed it, so keeeeeep looking!
