How Do You Grow Those Striking “Blue Daze” Flowers?

If you’ve ever seen the striking blue daze flowers, also known as Evolvulus glomeratus or dwarf morning glory, chances are you wanted some for your own garden, front yard, or house. These plants have a unique bright blue color. Not purple that looks blue, but true blue, which is actually quite rare in the flower world. This delightful evergreen shrub grows very low to the ground, making it perfect for covering sizeable areas.

Blue Daze Flowers: Evolvulus Glomeratus

These funnel-shaped, small blue flowers are about one inch in diameter, and the plant itself will grow about two or three feet in each direction and about one foot high. They also need full sun and are hardy enough to offer their amazingly blue blooms during the entire summer all the way to the first frost. They’re resilient, so they will thrive and flourish in areas that are maybe too dry or hot to grow anything else.

Full Sun, Dry Soil, Hot Temperatures

Encourage evolvulus blue daze flower to bloom continuously with its blue, ruffled petals by using a slow-release fertilizer. The flowers will bloom during the day but expect them to close if there’s a rainstorm approaching or when night comes: a feature they share with their morning glory relatives. They’re ideally suited for ground cover, so if you need borders for a walkway, garden, or porch, give these blue flowers a try.

If your region has dry, arid soil with lots of sun and high temperatures, these flowers are an excellent choice. They can tolerate a little bit of shade around midday, but if you try to plant these in an overly shady area, they probably won’t bloom. One of the best parts of this plant is that it doesn’t need to be watered constantly throughout the day. In fact, over-watering is a sure way to kill these beautiful plants.

Perfect for Coastal Gardens

This plant is actually a native of Paraguay and Brazil, which explains why it loves dry soil and lots and lots of sunlight. If you live in a coastal area, you may have difficulty finding flowers to tolerate the salt-filled spray from the ocean. Well, look no further—these flowers are not only gorgeous but can easily handle salty climates, even direct spray, so they’re great for coastal gardens.

Ideal Soil Conditions

It’s crucial to remember this plant does not like wet soil, which will inevitably cause a deadly fungus that will kill it quickly. Even in the winter, these hardy plants don’t need much water. They’re rated USDA Zones 8-11, so if you live in a region with frost, plant them as an annual or in a pot that can be easily brought inside when the temperature drops.

When planting evolvulus blue daze flower as ground cover, it’s recommended to use mulch with a two- or three-inch layer of supplemental organic compost matter, which can retain the moisture that causes the fungus. Take the time to weed out competitors that can steal nutrients away from this plant, which is essential to keep its downy leaves looking full and the flowers bright blue.

Expect Rapid Growth

This plant is also very fast-growing, so it’s ideal for situations where rapid cover is needed, and the striking lavender-blue flowers are just an added bonus. Another benefit of this plant is that it’s not only hardy when it comes to climate variations, but it’s also a mostly disease- and pest-free plant.

The only real issue with this plant is the fungus that can cause premature death. Not only does insufficient drainage cause this fatal problem, but over-watering, unusually high amounts of rain, and even overcrowding with other plants also can cause the fungus. Also, if there are lots of other flowers or weeds, these plants may not flower as magnificently as they would when grown independently.

Vivid and Bright Blue

The most spectacular aspect of these evolvulus blue daze flowers is by far their vivid blue color, something else they share with their close relative, the morning glory. In nature, blue is the rarest color, with only one in ten plants featuring the color, and of course, far fewer animals that can boast a true blue hue. The Blue Daze achieves this color by cleverly mixing naturally occurring pigments with some nifty tricks of light and reflections.

How to Care for These Flowers

While you already know that these flowers are suitable for ground cover, they’re also a perennial that will come back year after year, and they work just as well in hanging pots or containers. They’re also perfect for rock gardens, as they will cascade attractively and cover bare spaces between stones. When hung in a pot, the tendrils and flowers will hang down over the pot’s sides with a pleasing effect.

They’re also self-cleaning, so you don’t have to spend any time deadheading to make it bloom again. However, deadheading can be done if desired. It does help encourage the blooms to return, but it’s not a necessity like it is with some other plants. Another great benefit of growing these beautiful flowers is that deer don’t really like it—so you don’t have to worry about waking up and seeing your flower bed has been munched down to the dirt.

When’s the Best Time to Plant?

The time to plant this sky-blue flower is in the late spring because they start blooming in early summer. Expect to see these fantastic flowers until it gets cold unless your region doesn’t get below freezing for the winter. If it does get really cold, this plant will die over the winter and return again for the spring, just like an old friend.

However, it’s a good idea when the last freeze is done in spring to give it a healthy cutback, which helps promote new growth. In fact, this plant will tolerate being cut about an inch or two away from the dirt’s surface. After the cutting, add some mulch, water, and some slow-release fertilizer. Before you know it, those fabulous blue flowers will be blooming again!

How to Plant

When planting as a border or in larger areas, it’s ideal to space the individual plants roughly a foot apart. It makes such a good border plant because the leaves and growth stay relatively close to the ground, even though this plant can grow a foot high when completely mature. This means there’s no need to spend more money on filler plants to cover up negative spaces—this plant fills in very well on its own.

Though it does well in average to dry soil conditions, it’s crucial to grow in full sunlight. Expect rapid growth, and don’t worry about pH or soil type, as it’s hardy enough to thrive in just about any soil. Whether it’s a desert, warmer clime, or even the inner city, this plant has the chops to survive and flourish.

Suitable Landscapes

Evolvulus blue daze works well for any spaces that need to be filled in or even as a background cover meant to accent taller flowers. While it’s beautiful on its own or hung in planters, it’s when planted in huge borders or in large areas that this stunning plant really shines. If there’s enough of it, it quite literally looks like one giant carpet of dazzling blue flowers, which some even consider hypnotic, hence the name “blue daze.”

This plant has many different planting or landscaping options, including:

• Container planting
• Ground cover
• Large areas
• Alpine gardens
• Coastal/saltwater gardens
• Edging or borders
• Mass planting

No matter where you want to put these remarkable blue-flowering plants, they’re sure to impress any visitor. In fact, as long as these plants get full sunlight and proper drainage, they will thrive, making them a popular choice for growers of all skill levels. It’s perfect for growing in rock gardens, by the beach. or even just in good old American soil in your front yard.

The blue daze flowers are a striking addition to any garden. These beautiful plants come in various shades, shapes and sizes. They have an average height of about 2 feet with large blooms that can be up to 12 inches wide! If you want these gorgeous flowers for your own backyard, follow the steps below to grow them successfully. Subscribe today for more articles on how-to gardening tips like this one delivered straight to your inbox every month!

• Category: Featured Articles, Flowers