Eranthemum Species, Blue Sage

In south Orlando (Disney area), it grows to 5-6 feet on shady side of house. It has beautiful dark green leaves year-round and blooms pro...Read Morelifically in January-February with beautifully blue flowers. Needs trimming at least twice a year here, but cuttings root easily and with no effort. Zone 9B.

Have had this growing in my garden for many years in a sheltered position.It flowers here in late August/September which is late winter e...Read Morearly spring here in Australia.Sets plenty of seed and regularly self sows.A beautiful shade of blue.Protect from frost.

This plant grows at the Jacksonville (Florida) Zoo & Gardens, which is on the borderline of Zone 8b/9a. The plant is in a concrete plant...Read Moreer with a high roof overhang so that it gets some protection, where it survived winter temperatures of 28 F this past winter, so it may be more hardy than is reported in most information about the plant. The nearly true blue flowers make a nice show. I'm attempting to root some softwood cuttings of the plant.

Edited to update on 11/22/07: The plant roots easily from pruned cuttings without rooting hormone.

Jeremy

This sub-shrub, a native of India, is quite happy in bright shade. It likes rich, loose, humusy soil and prefers to not dry out.
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The foliage tends to be sparse, so planting it against a heavy foliage background is advisable. I've seen it in mixed plantings with Swamp sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) with dramatic results. Eranthemum flowers are electric blue so against the sunflowers the effect was powerful.

Nice plant to add interest to the late fall garden. Often not noticed when not in bloom.

Spreads by roots, but not agressive. Propagation is by greenwood cuttings.