If you’re looking to add an extra dimension to your garden, blue flowers are a great option. What’s more, there is a wide variety of plants to choose from.
To provide you with some inspiration, we’ve rounded up our favourite plants with blue flowers, including both native and exotic species.
Native Australian blue flowers
Blue leschenaultia (Lechenaultia biloba)
Blue leschenaultia is a beautiful flowering native that grows up to 1m tall and wide.
This low, spreading plant grows best in full sun, and its flowers bloom in spring or winter. The flowers are blue and open-petalled.
It is endemic to Western Australia, and it can grow in drought and light frost conditions.
Blue flax lily (Dianella caerulea)
You can easily identify Dianella caerulea, by its long flower spikes that feature tiny blue flowers in late spring through to summer.
After flowering, the plant produces purple berries that are edible.The bright green leaves are long and straight.
This native grass is both frost and drought-tolerant and can be successfully grown in most soils. It will grow in full sun and part shade.
Each plant will reach a height and width of 1 metre. Like most native grasses, it can be cut back when it needs a tidy-up or left to grow naturally.
Blue Pincushion (Brunonia australis)
The Blue Pincushion is a small, evergreen native groundcover that can thrive in full sun or partial shade and a range of soil types.
The plant is indigenous to the Adelaide region of South Australia but can be found in all Australian states.
Blue Pincushion will grow up to 0.3 metres high and wide. The flowers are bright blue balls that bloom from spring through summer.
The plant requires minimal watering and will tolerate drought conditions as well as moderate frosts. It’s a great choice for people who want an easy care perennial groundcover.
Nodding Blue Lily, Grass Lily (Stypandra glauca)
Nodding Blue Lily is a native Australian plant that grows up to 1 metre tall and 0.5 metres wide.
This tufted perennial produces open-petalled blue flowers in spring and winter.
Nodding Blue Lily prefers to grow in full sun and will thrive in clay, loam or sandy soils. It is a very low-care plant that can tolerate drought conditions and moderate frost.
Tasmanian flax-lily (Dianella tasmanica)
Dianella tasmanica is a native Australian plant that grows in Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania.
This perennial herb has star-shaped blue flowers that bloom from summer to winter and will attract native birds and insects.
Unlike most natives, this plant prefers to grow in the shade.
Morning Iris (Orthrosanthus multiflorus)
This native grass species is actually a member of the iris family and this is evident by the pretty blue, star-shaped flowers.
The flowers only last a day but they are produced in huge numbers during spring and summer. The dark green strappy leaves create a lovely contrast to the blue flowers.
This clumping native grass will reach a height and width of around 1 metre. It prefers to grow in a semi-shaded spot but will tolerate full sun.
RELATED: Australian Yellow Flowers
Non-native blue flowers
Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
This classic and beautiful garden shrub makes a gorgeous flowering hedge when pruned and trained from early on.
Hydrangeas are also one of the best plants to grow if the area is partly shaded throughout the day.
These hardy plants do prefer to be shaded from the hot midday and afternoon sun otherwise their leaves and flowers may suffer from sunburn.
Hydrangeas are also ideal if you want a hedge that is not too tall because they will grow to a maximum height of around 1.5 metres.
The gorgeous large showy flowers that appear in spring and summer are available in shades of blue, pink, purple, and white.
Baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii)
Nemophila menziesii is an annual wildflower native to California with a variable appearance.
Baby blue eyes has blue flowers with a white centre which bloom in spring through summer. The leaves are stalked at the bottom of the plant and it grows quickly in full sun or part shade.
It is hardy and low maintenance but grows best in well drained soil.
Delphinium
Delphinium, also known as larkspur, is a perennial flowering plant native to the northern hemisphere.
This evergreen plant has bright blue flowers and prefers full sun, but will do well in partial shade as well. Some species grow up to 2 meters tall.
Blue Sea Holly (Eryngium)
Eryngium, or blue sea holly, is a beautiful perennial that should be grown in full sun and well-drained soil.
The plant has silvery-blue stems and it blooms in summer right through to autumn, with unique blue flower heads.
Eryngium is extremely hardy, so it’s perfect for beginners and people who want a low-maintenance garden.
Agapanthus Blue (Agapanthus orientalis)
Agapanthus orientalis is a herbaceous plant native to Southern Africa. It is widely grown as an ornamental in gardens around the world.
It has tubular flowers with 6 petals. The sap is poisonous and can cause skin irritation if you get it on your skin or touch your mouth after touching the sap.
This plant is great for weed control because it grows quickly and will choke out other plants around it. It is very hardy and can grow in most types of soil.
Evolvulus pilosus
Evolvulus pilosus is a low, evergreen perennial with silver-green leaves that is covered in masses of beautiful blue flowers from summer to autumn.
It’s ideal for planting in rockeries, banks, and borders, or as an accent plant in a container or planter.
This hardy groundcover will tolerate dry periods and prefers full sun, but can also be grown in partial shade.
Hebe
Nothing beats the profusion of flowers on a hebe hedge. These low-maintenance plants are perfect for growing into a low hedge that is kept nicely trimmed.
Although there are some varieties that can grow up to 3 metres in height, it’s best to keep them to a lower height because they tend to get a little woody at the base.
For this reason, constant tip pruning after flowering is essential to keep the plants nice and bushy.
The gorgeous, long-lasting blooms come in a variety of different colours including white, pink, purple, and blue.
