Rediscovering Caryopteris, Thanks to Plant-Shopping in August

Apparently I can’t stay away from nurseries, especially the large ones that are well stocked even in late August. My excuse for going there this week was to find a replacement for a ‘Golden Mop’ Threadleaf False Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera – above) that I wrongly assumed didn’t need watering during our long, very hot drought this summer.  I found a Parsons juniper that should be more drought-tolerant, but then you never know these days, do you?

‘Dark Knight’ Caryopteria planted just yesterday in my garden.

Now for the fun stuff.  I happen to have an open spot in a mixed perennial/shrub bed where the volunteer garden phloxes I’d planted were too mildewy to keep. So at the nursery I headed for the perennial benches where I homed in on what looked great that day and also what was visited by the most bees and other pollinators. The winner, hands down, was the herbaceous perennial/small shrub Caryopteris ‘Dark Knight’. 

And this small shrub, already over 3 feet tall, only cost me $22! There’s no need to wait for it to sleep or creep – it’s already leaping! That’s one of many reasons I’m such a fan of adding shrubs to perennial borders.

Caryopteris growing in my former garden, back in the ’90s and ’00s.

Lastly, I grew this plant in my last garden and I’ve missed it!

Okay, but what is it? Garden Design Mag calls it a “deciduous shrub, but often treated as a perennial in colder climates because the above-ground growth will die back in harsh winters. 2 to 4 feet tall and wide.” And the Missouri Botanic Garden says its “roots are winter hardy to USDA Zone 5, but top growth is only reliably winter hardy to USDA Zone 7.” Well, I’m in Zone 7B so here’s hoping the top growth survives my next (sadly, warming) Maryland winter.

(About common names – Bluebeard, Blue Mist Shrub or Blue Spirea – I just ignore them because they’re infrequently used and can cause confusion with other plants. E.g. it has nothing to do with spireas.)

A Pollinator Magnet – When it’s Most Needed

High Country Gardens  says that ‘Dark Knight’ “blooms with a profusion of dark blue flowers in late summer when few other shrubs are flowering. Its modest size makes it very useful in smaller yards. A fantastic nectar source for bees and butterflies. Drought resistant/drought tolerant plant (xeric).” It’s recommended for these attributes: “Bee Friendly, Attracts Butterflies, Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant, Low Maintenance, Long Bloom Time, Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Privacy.”

North Creek Nursery agrees, calling it “a wonderful late season pollinator plant—luring bees and butterflies from miles around and providing nectar from August to October.”

Some bee-related websites – Vital Bee Buds.com and Honeybee Suite.com – tout its benefit to pollinators, with the latter noting that “We often overlook Caryopteris as a pollinator plant because it is not native. Gardeners imported it to this country from East Asia as an ornamental shrub. However, it is not considered invasive anywhere in North America.”

I’ve noticed that the big bee-related nonprofits recommend only natives as pollinator plants, and that’s a shame.  Surely the more ways that homeowners can support pollinators, the greater the impact, especially with eco-conscious people who also care about beauty.