Any garden is enhanced by the presence of Blue Flowering Perennials. These plants have colour that lasts for a long time and comes back year after year. The colours range from soft sky blues to deep indigos. Perennial plants with blue flowers provide steady colour while requiring little upkeep, whether you're brightening a shady area or making a bold border.

These plants do best in soil that drains well and stays wet, and many of them like full sun over partial shade. Permanent blue flowering plants bloom for longer periods of time when they get the right amount of light, water, and healthy soil. This gives your yard a steady colour throughout the season.

What Makes a Perennial a “Long Bloomer”?

For a long time, usually from late spring to early autumn, a long-blooming annual brings flowers. When compared to annuals, which only live for one season, perennial plants with blue flowers come back every year, which saves you money.

Key traits of long bloomers are:

  • Strong roots that store energy for repeat blooming
  • Regular deadheading to encourage more buds to grow

It needs to be fed the right way with soil or slow-release fertiliser and watered regularly to keep it from getting stressed.Be sure to do these things to keep your beds looking new and enjoy blue perennials thatbloom all summer.

Blue Flowering Perennial Varieties We Recommend

What makes the best blue perennials for long bloom times varies on the weather and the location. These plants from TN Nursery are their top picks for colour and durability.

  1. Blue Hydrangea

    The Blue Hydrangea stands out because of its beautiful, globe-shaped groups. For the best blue, plant in part shade and make sure the soil is moist and slightly acidic. Hydrangeas do best when they get deep watered once or twice a week and have mulch around the base. Check out what we have at TN Nursery: The Blue Hydrangea.

  2. Virginia Bluebell

    The Virginia Bluebell has pretty bell-shaped flowers that shine in the spring. These woodland plants like it when it's damp and shady, and they spread out naturally over time to make a pretty blue carpet. They look good with hostas and ferns. Virginia Bluebell is available at TN Nursery.
  3. Delphinium

    Delphiniumis a dramatic flower because of its tall spikes of sky-blue or indigo colour. These sun-loving plants flower longer when they are staked and their dead flowers are removed regularly. The best place to plant them is in dirt that drains well and gets full sun.

  4. Blue Salvia

    Blue Salvia is a hardy plant that blooms from late spring to autumn. Once it's established, it can handle drought and insects like it. If you want blue perennials that bloom all summer without much work, this is the plant for you.

  5. Periwinkle (Vinca minor)

    Periwinkle is a tough ground cover that quickly spreads and has small blue flowers. It does well on hills and in gaps between shrubs and can handle both sun and shade. Use it where you want a steady blue colour that doesn't grow too tall.

How to Care for Blue Flowering Perennials with Long Bloom Cycles

Here are some easy things you can do to keep plants healthy and help them grow longer.

Provide the Right Sunlight and Soil

Sunlight of some to full is good for most perennial plants with blue flowers. Blue Hydrangeas, for example, like the sun in the morning and the shade in the afternoon, while Delphiniums need more direct light. Make sure the soil is rich and drains well. Adding organic compost will improve the soil's structure and nutrients.

Watering and Feeding Schedule

Long bloom times are supported by regular watering. Set your goals for about an inch of water per week during busy growth, taking into account the weather. Overwatering can hurt the roots, so make sure the soil can drain well. To help plants flower more than once, feed them with a balanced slow-release fertiliser in early spring and again in the middle of the season.

Pruning and Deadheading

Getting rid of dead flowers is an easy way to make more grow. By cutting off the dead flowers, you tell the plant to make new buds instead of seeds. Cutting back plants like Blue Salvia and Delphinium after the first flush often brings about a second bloom that is just as nice.

Winter Care and Mulching

Before winter, put 2 to 3 inches of mulch around plants to protect their roots and keep water in. Many blue flowering plants will die back in cold places and come back in the spring. Weeds are kept down by mulch, which keeps plants healthy and more likely to bloom for a long time.

Quick Care Tips - How to care for blue perennial flowers

  • Plant based on how much sunshine each species needs
  • Use organic compost to make the dirt better
  • Regularly remove dead flower heads to encourage more flowers
  • Cover plants with mulch to keep water in and protect them from winter

FAQs

What are blue flowering perennials?

Blue flowering perennials are plants that bloom in blue and come back every year. Blue Hydrangea, Virginia Bluebell, and Delphinium are some examples.

Which blue perennials bloom all summer?

There are blue perennials that bloom all summer, like Blue Salvia and Blue Hydrangea that is well taken care of. They provide steady colour all season.

Where can I buy blue flowering perennials?

There are many perennial plants with blue flowers that you can buy at TN Nursery. Our Blue Hydrangea and Virginia Bluebell are two popular choices.

How to care for blue perennial flowers to ensure long bloom time?

Make sure it has the right amount of light and dirt, water it regularly, remove the spent flowers, and feed it in the spring and mid-season. The best blue perennials for long bloom are those that follow these instructions.

What blue flowers are best for ground cover?

Minor periwinkle is one of the best blue flowering ground plants. It's easy to spread and can handle different levels of light.

Tammy Sons, Horticulture Expert

Written by Tammy Sons

Tammy Sons is a horticulture expert and the CEO of TN Nursery, specializing in native plants, perennials, ferns, and sustainable gardening. With more than 35 years of hands-on growing experience, she has helped gardeners and restoration teams across the country build thriving, pollinator-friendly landscapes.

Learn more about Tammy →