Blue flowers are far rarer in nature than red or yellow ones: a plant needs special pigments and cell acidity to produce the colour. That is why blue bouquets always look unusual and memorable. Here are the flowers that come in light and deep blue, what they mean, and which suit bouquets or gardens.
Light blue symbolises calm, trust, loyalty and sincerity; deep blue stands for depth of feeling, wisdom and stability. A blue bouquet suits a man, a colleague, a graduation or a wish for peace.
Hydrangea is the florist’s favourite blue flower: one head already looks like a bouquet. Its colour depends on soil acidity, which makes truly blue hydrangeas especially prized. More in bigleaf hydrangea.
Delphinium has tall spires from sky to deep blue that add height and lightness. Lisianthus comes in lilac-blue and lasts up to two weeks in a vase — see lisianthus varieties and care.
The iris is a blue-violet classic of spring and early summer and a symbol of wisdom and hope — see irises: legends and meaning. Hyacinths and grape hyacinths add fragrance to spring arrangements.
True blue roses do not exist in nature; the colour is achieved by dyeing. How they are made and whether to give them: blue roses.
Blue flowers for the garden
Spring: scilla, grape hyacinths, hyacinths and forget-me-nots carpet the ground under trees before the leaves appear. How to grow hyacinths: hyacinth.
Summer: cornflowers, delphiniums, bellflowers, ageratum, lobelia and salvia. Lavender adds a lilac-blue tone and scent — see lavender types and growing.
Autumn: New England asters, monkshood and late hydrangeas keep the blue palette going until frost.
What to pair blue flowers with
Blue and white make a fresh, nautical bouquet for a man or graduate. Blue and yellow is bright and patriotic. Light blue and pink is soft and romantic.
Blue wildflowers of Ukraine and how to recognise them
In summer, blue on meadows and roadsides comes from a few easy-to-spot plants:
Cornflower — jagged bright-blue heads among cereals, flowering from June.
Common chicory — sky-blue flowers on stiff roadside stems that open in the morning and close after noon.
Forget-me-not — tiny blue flowers with a yellow eye in damp places.
Bellflowers — violet-blue cups on slender stems in woods and meadows.
Meadow sage and viper’s bugloss — spikes of blue flowers on dry slopes.
Wildflowers dislike being cut: cornflowers and chicory wilt within hours. For a vase, buy cultivated cornflowers or delphiniums instead. Pasque flowers and other Red Book species must not be picked at all.
Do naturally blue roses exist
No. Roses lack the gene for the blue pigment delphinidin, so natural blue varieties do not exist. Japan’s Suntory, working with Australian scientists, bred the genetically modified Applause rose with this pigment, but its petals came out lilac-lavender rather than blue.
Vivid blue roses in shops are dyed: the flower either drinks water with food colouring that travels up the stem, or its petals are sprayed. They last about as long as ordinary roses, but the dye can stain water and hands. For a true blue, choose flowers with a natural shade: delphinium, hydrangea, muscari, hyacinth or iris.
Caring for blue flowers in a vase
Mist hydrangeas daily and revive a wilted head by submerging it in cool water for 30–40 minutes. Put delphiniums and irises in a tall vase of cool water.
Dyed blue roses may tint the water slightly, which is normal. Change the water daily and recut the stems.
Blue bouquets with delivery
Blue hydrangeas, lisianthus and blue roses: we arrange an unusual blue bouquet and deliver it across Kyiv and Ukraine.
Calm, trust, loyalty and sincerity; deep blue stands for depth of feeling and wisdom.
Do blue roses exist in nature?
No. Blue roses are dyed; breeders have only achieved lilac-blue shades.
Who should get a blue bouquet?
A man, a colleague, a graduate, or anyone you wish peace and calm.
Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
Birthday
Hydrangeas