87 Blue Flower Plants: Names, ID Charts, Pictures, Growing Tips, Locations

Blue Roses (Blue Rose Meaning)

Secrecy and mystery are what epitomizes the blue rose.

It was said that if you received a blue rose that you were embroiled in clandestine activities, hiding away from prying eyes under shadowy trees or dark alleyways.

How did this rumor come about? Perhaps this legend was created because of the circumstances that bred this unique flower.

Prior to 2004, there were no true blue roses in nature.

There were many blue flowers, but it was only in a laboratory setting that genetic engineering created a blue rose containing the compound that produced the color blue, a pigment called delphinidin.

The results were hailed as a success even though the color achieved was not the deepest blue as you can see below, but they were all classed as blue roses.

Blue Perennial Flowers That Bloom All Summer

Perennial blue flowers may take their time to get going, the first year being a practice run while they wait 12 months to set down permanent roots and prepare for the following year’s blooming season.

But when they start, when their bulbs finally burst wide open, it’s more than worth the wait.

Here are a few to marvel at:

Dark Blue Flowers and Navy Blue Flowers

Flowers that are a darker shade of blue can be added to a brightly colored landscape setting to introduce contrast and depth. Often their presence can create quite a dramatic impact to elevate the entire garden to an unexpected level.

Experiment with one or more of the dark blue flowers below to add a certain something that you didn’t know was missing from your flower beds.

Blue and White Flowers (White and Blue Flowers)

A blue and white floral arrangement is both pleasing to the eye and normally has a mixed aroma that is pleasing to the sense of smell. Nature has decided to combine the two colors to create quite a few of these amazing varieties.

Natural Blue Flowers

There are blue and yellow flowers as well as blue and purple flowers that grow on plants up and down the country. Plants with blue flowers and vines with blue flowers draped over trellises are becoming all the rage.

But true blue plants are in reality rarities in nature.

Blooms that are naturally blue are also uncommon. There is, sadly, no true blue pigment in any species of plant.

It sounds confusing when your eyes are verifying the existence of blue flowers directly in front of you while scientific studies are denying your reality, revealing the blue and purple flowers through years of exhaustive experiments.

When the “blue” of a flower or plant is seen, it is the surrounding light itself interacting with other pigments and minerals within the plant that produce the color perceived by the eye as “blue”.

So, as far as your senses are concerned the “blue” color exists, but as far as botanists are concerned it is nature itself that is allowing you to see what you want to see.

Here are a few blue flowers that are both hybrids and true blue flowers, sort of.

73. Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
74. Blue Himalayan Poppy (Meconopsis x sheldonii)
75. Blue Drumstick Allium (Azure allium)
76. Blue Morning Glory (Ipomoea tricolor ‘Heavenly Blue’)
77. Cape Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata)
78. Delphiniums (Delphinium grandiflorum ‘Blue Mirror’)
79. Gentians (Gentiana x “True Blue”)
80. Grape Hyacinths (Muscari aucheri ‘Blue Magic’)
81. Hardy plumbago (Plumbago cerastostigma)
82. Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica)

The strange thing about the color blue in nature is that for some gardeners it appears more purple or mauve, while for others it is clearly blue. A trick of the eye or a trick of nature?

Blue Bells Flowers

Hyacinthoides non-scripta is the scientific name to identify the common bluebell. But there is nothing common about this iconic flower.

Growing under the umbrella of the family Boraginaceae,¹¹ this unmistakable bell-shaped flower has been known to be called the English bluebell, Cuckoo’s Boots, Witches’ Thimbles as well as the Fairy Flower.

It is around this last title that a legend of dark magic of the fairy kind abounded. Just to hear the ring of one of these enchanting bells would either have the enchanted led astray by the fairies themselves, or die under mysterious circumstances after being visited by one of the fairy folk.

These days, parts of the bluebell plant are used in diuretics and to stop bleeding wounds. There are further ongoing programs to ascertain if this humble flower can help in the fight against some forms of cancer.

But apart from what medicinal properties they may possess in the future, they are simply wildly attractive wildflowers.

Mesmerizing is one way to describe bluebells when there are thousands of them blanketing the ground in a forest environment, bees, butterflies, and small birds hovering and then darting within the blue flowers to harvest the nectar, helping to spread the seeds in the process.

Incredibly, some savvy bees have learned to skip the queues by poking a hole in the other end and stealing the nectar from right under the noses of the competition.

Nature is, after all, about the survival of the fittest. Or is that the smartest?

Trees With Blue Flowers and Leaves

Certain trees such as the Cypress Tree, the Ash Tree, and the Blue Pine Tree do not have blue flowers hanging from their branches, but blue leaves instead.

The Wisteria Tree is one of the exceptions in the tree world that boasts a bountiful canopy of blue flowers. Here are a few others that are absolutely breathtaking and aromatic.

Facts About Blue Flowers

All flowers have a calming effect associated with them. Maybe it’s the delicacy needed to handle them, their hypnotic beauty, or the fragrances that gently soothe our emotions.

That wasn’t enough for plant breeders. They wanted to create what nature was denying them, they wanted a true blue flower.

To achieve this they had to go through a process that involved introducing the red anthocyanin pigment into other flowers under laboratory conditions. It took 13 years of gene manipulation until the results were unveiled.

The flower was more purplish blue than dark blue but was hailed as a success. That was in 2004 when the first blue rose was created.

Let’s see what other amazing facts there are about blue flowers.

• In 2018 scientists once again attempted to make the rose bluer by injecting bacteria into a white rose. It worked but only temporarily. However, they are still dedicated to editing the genes until the blue rose can be grown in any homeowner’s back garden. One day…
• Did you know that the alkaline content in the soil can affect the intensity of blue hydrangeas?
• Anthocyanins, carotenoids, and betalains are the 3 pigment compounds within plants that determine their color

Being able to successfully grow blue flowers in your backyard can be dependent on the type of soil you have, the amount of sunlight that bathes your garden, and the actual type of blue flowers you like the look of.

Research carefully before selecting any of them as some of them are hardy grows while others are delicate flowers.

Fortunately, with this guide, you will now have 87 blue flowers plant names, ID charts, pictures, growing tips, and locations to choose from.

Frequently Asked Questions About Blue Flowers