University
of Vermont ExtensionDepartment of Plant and Soil Science
University
of Vermont Extension
Caryopteris x clandonensis 'First Choice'
(cary-op' tear-iss clan-doe-nen' siss)
Common name: Blue Mist, Bluebeard
Family: Vervain (Verbenaceae)
Height x width: 30-36" x 36", more dense and compact than other cultivars
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: opposite leaves to 3.5" long, undersides gray-white, narrow, usually entire margins; this cultivar with wider leaves than species, dark green, satin appearing surface
Flowers: up to 20 in a tight cluster (cyme), cymes in the upper leaf axils; more buds than most cultivars and species, and earlier bloom; dark ink-blue buds opening to dark purple-blue flowers; late summer, early fall
Hardiness: USDA zone 5, marginal in protected parts of zone 4, to zone 9 in south
Soil: well-drained
Light: full sun
Pests and problems: few if any, none serious
Landscape habit, uses: specimen, mixed borders, massed; good for late summer and nice contrast to usual daisy type flowers of oranges and yellows, or complement to similar colors in fall asters; striking contrast with cultivar 'Worcester Gold' with yellow-gold foliage
Other interest: a recent introduction to growers through PlantHaven, Inc.; originally bred by Peter Catt in England; species is a hybrid between C. indica and . mongholica, originally bred in 1930 in West Clandon, England--hence its common name; genus is native to eastern Asia, and although woody in nature, since it loses its leaves and often dies back to the ground in winter, it is treated as a perennial
Other culture: drought tolerant, underutilized garden species
Propagation: softwood terminal cuttings, late spring or early summer
Sources: commercial listing available from PlantHaven,
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