How to landscape a blue-themed garden

Blue is the color of pleasant dreams… and here’s how to grow such dreams in your own garden! Deep blue, blue-purple, blue-gray… Plants show off a spectrum of blue, from flowers to foliage. Discover how to design a garden with shades of blue.

Got a thing for blue flowers?

Blue is a rare color in nature. While yellow flowers, orange and purple are aplenty, there are plants that stand out with their shades of  blue, particularly cherished. Take, for instance, hydrangea, a star of gardens in Brittany. For blue blossoms, you need acidic soil! If not, expect purple, or even pink. Don’t hesitate to add peat moss during planting.

Among shrubs, you’ll find ceanothus forming lovely, lightly-scented blue spikes and Plumbago with gentle blue flower clusters. Flax, agapanthus and centaury also offer shades, both vibrant and pastel.

• Also worth a read: more blue flower ideas

Steel blue foliage

Blue hues grace leaves too. Conifers sporting ‘Glauca’ varieties shimmer with blue tints. This term, born out of Latin, hints at blue-green. Cedrus libanii ‘Glauca’ or Picea pungens ‘Glauca’ may spring to mind. Their grey-blue shade makes them look frost-kissed.

Straying away from frosty vibes is the entire range of succulent plants. Sedum, agave and Echeveria include species with bluish leaves. Also take a look at Carex, the ‘Bunny Blue’ and ‘China blue’ varieties form cushion-like perennials as ‘blue’ as their name suggests. Resembling grasses, these herbaceous plants nestle beautifully in a flower bed, keeping company with flowering perennials and shrubs. Shady beds relish blue leaves of Hosta tardiana ‘Halcyon’, which pairs stunningly with silver leaves of some heuchera.

Blue garden furniture

Simply love the color blue and dreaming of a garden that mirrors your passion? Go all out and splash blue on materials and furniture too. You can’t go wrong with blue stone slabs. All that’s left to do is to pick out a table and chairs in your favorite shade of blue.

Contemporary teal, azure to match a seaside view, sky blue for a dash of brightness… Toss in a few cushions and a hammock of the same hue for a restful space swimming in shades of blue. This concentrated pigment explosion brings sea and sky to mind, inviting relaxation and daydreaming.

Cobalt decor

Blue decor boosts this color’s presence. Think about your potted plants on terrace or balcony. Paint them in the shade of your choice. All you need is to pick paint that can hold up to outdoor conditions. Try Klein blue (that’s the name of the color)! It’ll highlight your potted plants and their bright flowers.

Outdoor rugs, blankets, sculptures, lanterns, can complement a blue color palette to create a true gradient from turquoise to navy blue. Don’t forget about lighting, it comes into play as sun sets. Choose different colored lights depending on your mood.

Bathed in blue light, a night garden adopts a touch of mystery and transforms itself.

Moroccan inspiration

One of the world’s most famous blue gardens? Without a doubt, it’s the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech. Vivid and bold, this audacious garden stands out with walls entirely painted in Majorelle blue. Vibrant, deep, and intense, this blue won’t go unnoticed. Bright, it brings out an exotic plant palette.

Touches of yellow and pink only enhance main color, which also features in traditional mosaics. From this garden, you can draw inspiration by adapting its audacity to your garden’s exterior design. For that, a good bet is a fence, a single wall, a pergola or a piece of furniture painted in Majorelle blue.

To highlight it, nothing beats a few touches of orange, its complementary color.