While not the same, blue and violet are pretty close in color. Violet leans towards purple and blue is blue. We combined them in one post because in many cases it’s a close call whether a flower is actually blue or violet.
I love the coolness of blue and violet flowers. They cool down hot colors such as red, yellow and orange. They juxtapose those hot colors in a garden beautifully. Here are 30 of the most popular types of blue and violet flowers. Enjoy.
Related: Sun-Loving Flowers | Water-Loving Flowers | Shade-Loving Flowers | Types of Flowers | Types of Flowers by Color | Types of Flowers by Alphabet | Types of Flower Colors
Agapanthus
Scientific Name: Agapanthus africanus
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sunlight
Water Needs: Moderate – especially during the growing season
Hardiness Zones: 8 to 10
Soil: pH 5.0 – 7.0
Blue Delphiniums
Scientific Name: Delphinium
Type: Hardy Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: High – soil should not dry out
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 7
Soil: pH 6.5 – 7.0
Brunnera
Scientific Name: Brunnera macrophylla
Type: Perennial
Sun: Shade or Partial Shade
Water Needs: Moderate – keep moist until established
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
Soil: pH 5.5 – 6.0
Calla Lily
Scientific Name: Zantedeschia
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: High – the area should be watered well once planted
Hardiness Zones: 8 to 10
Soil: pH 6.0 – 6.5
Candytuft
Scientific Name: Iberis pruitii
Type: Perennial
Sun: Partial Sun to Full Sun
Water Needs: Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Soil: pH 6.0-7.5
Canterbury Bells
Scientific Name: Campanula medium
Type: Biennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: High – needs to be watered regularly
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 10
Soil: pH 6.0 – 7.0
Cattleya Orchid
Scientific Name: Cattleya
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: Low
Hardiness Zones: 10 to 12
Soil: pH 5.5 – 6.5
China Aster
Scientific Name: Callistephus chinensis
Type: Annual
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Needs: Moderate – enough amount but do not water during heavy rainfalls
Hardiness Zones: 1 – 10
Soil: pH 5.1 -7.5
Columbine
Scientific Name: Aquilegia
Type: Perennial
Sun: Partial Sun or Shade
Water Needs: High – until well-established
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
Soil: pH 6.0 – 7.0
Common Comfrey
Scientific Name: Symphytum officinale
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
Soil: pH 6.0 – 7.0
Coneflower
Scientific Name: Echinacea Purpurea
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: High – especially during the Summer season
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
Soil: pH 6.0 – 7.0
Cornflower
Scientific Name: Centaurea cyanus
Type: Annual
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: High – needs to be watered in a regular and constant basis
Hardiness Zones: 2 to 11
Soil: pH 5.5 – 7
Cosmos
Scientific Name: Cosmos
Type: Annual
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: High
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 10
Soil: pH 6.5 – 7.0
Cyclamen
Scientific Name: Cyclamen persicum
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 5
Soil: pH 6.5 – 7.0
Dendrobium Orchid
Scientific Name: Dendrobium
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun – but not direct sunlight
Water Needs: Low – water every 1 to 2 weeks
Hardiness Zones: 11
Soil: pH 4.5 – 5.0
Empire Blue (Summer lilac)
Scientific Name: Buddleia davidii
Type: Shrub
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: High – when in growth
Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
Soil: pH 5.5 – 7.0
Flax
Scientific Name: Linum usitatissimum
Type: Annual
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: Moderate – frequent but light watering
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
Soil: pH 6.0 – 6.5
Forget-Me-Nots
Scientific Name: Myosotis scorpioides
Type: Biennial
Sun: Partial Shade
Water Needs: Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Soil: pH 6.0 – 7.0
Foxgloves
Scientific Name: Digitalis purpurea
Type: Biennial
Sun: Partial Shade
Water Needs: Moderate – water once or twice a week
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 10
Soil: pH 4.5 -8.3
Gentians
Scientific Name: Gentiana verna
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 7
Soil: pH 5.0 – 7.5
Globe Thistle
Scientific Name: Echinops ritro
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
Soil: pH 5.5 – 6.0
Grape Hyacinth
Scientific Name: Muscari
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: Low to Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Soil: pH 6.0 – 7.0
Hydrangea
Scientific Name: Hydrangea macrophylla
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: High
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
Soil: pH 5.5 – 6.5
Iris
Scientific Name: Iris sibirica
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: High
Hardiness Zones: 3 – 9
Soil: pH 6.8 – 7.0
Lisianthus
Scientific Name: Eustoma Grandiflorum
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 9 – 11
Soil: pH 6.5 – 7.0
Lupine
Scientific Name: Lupinus
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: High
Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
Soil: pH 6.8 – 7.2
Sea Thistle
Scientific Name: Cirsium japonicum
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun
Water Needs: Low
Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
Soil: pH 6.0 – 7.8
Siberian Squill
Scientific Name: Scilla sibirica
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: High
Hardiness Zones: 2 to 8
Soil: pH 5.6 – 7.8
Veronica
Scientific Name: Veronica
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: High
Hardiness Zones: 4 to 11
Soil: pH 5.5 – 7.0
Waxflower
Scientific Name: Chamelaucium
Type: Perennial
Sun: Full Sun or Partial Shade
Water Needs: Moderate
Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
Soil: pH 6.0 – 6.5
FAQs
Are blue flowers natural? Real?
Blue flowers are perfectly natural and real. They are found in most places all over the world and are often the first flowers to blossom in spring. However, if a person wants to get technical, blue flowers are not real at all. That’s because their blue color is partially a trick of the light, much like the blue feathers of the blue jay is a trick. What gives a blue flower its color is not blue pigment, but minerals, other types of pigments and the slant of the light.
Are blue flowers rare?
Blue flowers are not that rare though they are challenging for a plant to produce. Because of that, there are many types of plants that simply don’t produce blue flowers. The most notorious flower that won’t naturally appear in a shade of true blue is the rose, though lavender specimens are available. Blue daylilies and chrysanthemums are also hard to find.
To give certain flowers an exotic look, some florists have been known to dye flowers, like mums, daisies, carnations, and roses in shades of blue. However, this does not mean that truly blue flowers are rare. There are quite a few flowering plants that produce genuine blue blooms. Some of the most common blue flowers are:
- Asters
- Bachelor Buttons
- Forget-me-nots
- Hydrangeas
- Iris
- Morning Glories
- Lotus Flower
- Orchids
- Petunias
Can you buy blue flowers?
Blue flowers can be bought at any florist’s shop, gardening center or online. They come in a great variety of shapes and sizes and can be just the thing for floral arrangements, garden plants or houseplants.
What do blue flowers represent?
The blue flower in general represents love, desire, hope and striving for the sublime and unattainable. The meaning of a blue flower also depends on its species. The elusive blue rose symbolizes immortality and royalty. The blue hydrangea is a gift for a fourth wedding anniversary. Conversely, it is a sign that a wedding proposal has been turned down. Blue hydrangea also symbolizes beauty and prosperity.
Bluebells symbolize constancy and humility while the larkspur represents lightheartedness. The lilac symbolizes youthful joy. The grape hyacinth is one of the first flowers to bloom in spring and so represents rebirth and sincerity. Blue asters stand for peace and elegance, and forget-me-nots, of course, symbolize remembrance.
Which trees have blue flowers?
In contrast to herbaceous plants, trees that have blue flowers are truly rare. One tree whose flowers come closest to blue is the Empress tree, Paulownia tomentosa, which is native to China. This tree has beautiful, fragrant, blue violet flowers that blossom before the leaves. The wisteria, which can sport masses of blue to purplish flowers, is sometimes grown as a tree even though it’s a woody vine and needs a strong support to twine around.
What makes hydrangea flowers blue?
Interestingly, the hydrangea’s blue color is a result of the pH level of the soil. The more acidic the soil, the bluer the flower. If the soil is more alkaline, the flowers tend to be pink.
How do blue flowers lure bees?
Bees are lured to blue flowers because blue flowers tend to have a lot of nectar. But since most flowers are other colors, some plants have evolved a blue or ultraviolet halo around their flower petals even if those petals are yellow, white or red. Humans can’t see ultraviolet, but bees can and so are drawn to the flowers.
While bees are often associated with yellow, red, and orange-colored flowers of the sun, their preference for blue, has until recently, been a bit of a mystery. That is until it was discovered that flowers in the violet-blue range produce the highest volumes of nectar.
Interestingly, this is to the extent that although blue is not an easy color for plants to produce, purple flowers get crafty to manifest a “blue halo” to lure the bees in. A new report in the scientifically acclaimed journal Nature shows that nanoscale structures on flower petals manifest a blue glow when they are bathed in light. This blue halo comprises small irregular striations that are lined up in a parallel design. These are found in all major flowering plant groups that are pollinated by insects.
What blue flowers do butterflies like?
Butterflies prefer flowers that are sturdy enough for them to rest on while they collect nectar. Therefore, the blue flowers most likely attract butterflies include chicory, sea holly, butterfly bush, butterfly flowers, borage, agapanthus and aster. Other blue flowers attractive to butterflies are hollyhocks, blue lobelias, pincushion flowers, phlox and bluestar.
Do any cacti or succulents have blue flowers? If so, what are they?
Cacti or succulents with blue flowers are about as rare as trees with blue flowers, but one cacti that has flowers that lean more towards blue than red or yellow is the Coryphantha ramillosa. This cactus is native to Mexico and into Texas. It grows on limestone at high elevations and produces a spectacular flower that can be described as lavender.
Another cactus with a showy lavender flower is C. vivipara, or the Spiny Star. This cactus is unusual because its range extends from Alberta, Canada and down into Arizona and Texas. The flowers are one to two inches across. In some varieties the cactus blooms many times a season, while in others it only blooms one or two days out of the year.
What do blue flowers mean?
Akin to white, blue is the universal color of peace and tranquility or calm. These two meanings of blue are also carried over to the meaning of blue flowers. However, peace and tranquillity are not the only meanings attributed to blue flowers. The meanings of blue flowers are fairly consistent but vary depending on the flower and the situation. The most consistently common meanings of blue flowers are:
- serenity
- openness
- mystery
- unattainable
- intrigue
- inspiration
- desire
- hope
- intimacy
- deep Trust
Which trees have blue flowers?
Blue-hued tree florals are quite rare. Consequently, they’re highly sought-after for their rich jewel tones and one-of-a-kind blue look. Some such trees with blue flowers are the:
- True Blue Butterfly Bush (Buddleia ‘Boslutu’)
- Azzuri Blue Satin Rose of Sharon Althea tree (Hibiscus syricicus ‘Marina’)
- Blue Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia)
- Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Which flowers complement blue flowers nicely?
While companion planting (i.e. positioning certain plants together to deter pests and create a good balance of nutrients) is a good way of giving your garden an organic feel, it is also another great way of giving it a more aesthetic look. For example, blue flowers nicely complement purple, black, yellow, brown, black, green, orange, lavender, green, pink, violet, and silver sage.
