Caryopteris clandonensis Hint of Gold - Bluebeard

Caryopteris x clandonensis Hint of Gold is a small deciduous bush that provides both olfactory and visual pleasure. This new variety of blue spirea is distinguished by its foliage, which is as bright as it is pleasantly aromatic when crushed. Starting off a light and vibrant yellow in spring, it gradually turns to a sharp green in summer, contrasting beautifully with its lovely lavender-blue flowers reminiscent of Verbena bonariensis. Plant it near the house, either in the ground or in a pot on the terrace, to crush its foliage with every passing: it exhales a surprising scent of anise mixed with lavender.

Caryopteris x clandonensis is a hybrid obtained by cross-breeding Caryopteris incana, an Asian bush known as 'Bluebeard', and Caryopteris mongolica, hardier and native to colder regions of Mongolia and northern China. Both belong to the family of verbenas.

The 'Hint of Gold' variety, bronze medalist at Plantarium in 2008, is a recent British creation. The plant forms a tall and wide bush, reaching 80cm (31.5in) to 1m depending on the growing conditions. It blooms in the second half of summer, until the start of autumn. Its inflorescences appear on the upper half of the year's branches. They are composed of countless small flowers of a fairly vivid lavender-blue, densely arranged in whorls on different levels. Equipped with prominent stamens, they have a powdery appearance. This flowering is particularly attractive to bees and nectar-loving insects, and the bush is often visited by many colourful butterflies. The deciduous foliage consists of thin, triangular leaves, quite large, with irregularly dentate edges, arranged in an opposite manner on straight stems. They display a vibrant yellow colour in spring, more or less pronounced depending on the amount of sunlight. In summer, they turn chartreuse, a bright hue between yellow and green. When crushed, they emit a very pleasant aroma of anise and lavender.

Caryopteris Hint of Gold is used in flower beds or low hedges, alongside other frugal summer-flowering bushes: Potentillas, catmints, Ceratostigma griffithii, lavenders, dwarf buddleias, shrubby salvias, asters, Echinaceas... A vibrant scene can be created at the end of summer by combining Caryopteris with sunflowers, evening primroses, Epilobium canum, Aster turbinellus or other more active asters. A group of 3 bushes surrounding a brightly coloured repeat-flowering rose is a splendor in September, as their very different styles and colors of flowering are perfectly complementary. This Caryopteris Hint of Gold also grows very well in a large pot, provided it is watered regularly and given some fertilizer for flowering bushes.