DATE:   9/3/98
WRITER: Paul Thompson, Extension agent, Berkeley County,
        (843) 719-4140

Choosing a Low-Maintenance Flowering Perennial

     If you like low-maintenance flowering perennials, you will
like September's plant of the month, blue-mist flower,
Caryopteris clandonensis.
     Attractive both in and out of bloom, this plant is a 
low-mounding shrub. Its gray-green leaves create color interest in
the garden. Maturing to a height of two feet with similar width,
blue flowers abound on new growth in late summer.
      Blue-mist shrub performs best in full sun and light soils.
A light application of fertilizer should be all it needs for the
season. 
     For profuse flowering, pinching back the plant after the
first spring flush of growth will promote more branching and
flower production. To extend late season flowering, lightly shear
the plant for another flush.
     Cold weather will knock the plant to the ground each winter.
Prune the stubble to the ground in late winter before new growth
resumes in the spring. 
     Look for the following cultivars at your favorite garden
center:
     *   Dark Knight -   deep purple flowers; 
     *   Heavenly Blue - dark blue flowers and compact growth;
     *   Longwood Blue - blue-violet flowers, larger growing to
         four feet.
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     If you have gardening questions or comments, write to
Agricultural News and Publications, A-101 Poole Agricultural
Center, Box 340311, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 29634-0311.
You might also check our Web site at:
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/agcomm/. Buds & Blooms columns
are under "1998 News Releases."
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