Why Plant First Choice Blue Mist Shrub?
Brilliant, bewitching, breathtaking blue! First Choice Bluebeard is a captivating Spirit that will wow you with dreamy, deep blue, late-season blossoms. When spring blooms are a distant memory and summer flowers are running out of steam, First Choice comes to the rescue, breathing new life into your landscape. From August through September, its lustrous green leaves are smothered in fuzzy blue blooms. The people-pleasing flowers also attract butterflies and other hungry pollinators. Requiring only an annual cut-back in spring, this compact plant forms a tidy mound with no additional pruning. Place it front-and-center in your border and let it strut its stuff.
Sometimes a new plant is simply discovered. Other times it takes years of deliberate breeding work for a new plant to come to fruition. In the case of First Choice Bluebeard, the latter was true. English nurseryman Peter Catt began sowing seeds in 1988 with a desire to develop a Bluebeard with a compact habit and strongly colored blue flowers. He raised five generations of plants, each time selecting the best of the best and getting a little closer to his goal. In 1992, he finally found success—First Choice was born. He had grown thousands of seedlings to produce one winning Spirit.
How to use First Choice Blue Mist Shrub in the landscape?
Got deer? First Choice Bluebeard has aromatic leaves that deer find distasteful. They tend to leave this fragrant Spirit alone. If rabbits are a problem in your garden, First Choice will give you some peace of mind also, as all kinds of chewing critters are unlikely to browse it.
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
How To Plant First Choice Blue Mist Shrub
Give First Choice Bluebeard a sunny spot in loose, free-draining soil (no sticky clay). If your soil is too heavy for its liking, you can always grow the plant in a container or a raised bed. It isn’t fussy about soil pH. As with all Spirits that develop a woody framework, wait until late winter or early spring to do any major pruning, especially in cold climates. Late-season pruning can encourage tender growth that is vulnerable to sudden freezes. Cut Bluebeard back hard to new green buds that appear in spring. Feed at that time with Bower & Branch Elements™ Fertilizer.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer, start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant food granular form on an annual basis each late fall. Continue this for the first three years to get your plant well established.
How Does Shipping Work?
Bower & Branch Trees, the real BIG trees, don’t fit in a box! Our big trees, sizes XL and bigger, require expert delivery and care, that means our extra-large trees are shipped on Bower & Branch trucks. We are the only ones who know how to ship our big and bigger trees and plants with tender loving care. We deliver your trees and plants directly to you. Ask Bower & Branch about planting services – we'd be happy to assist in installation.
*For Big trees and Shrubs, Size XL and bigger: Review our Seasonal Shipping Timelines and Policy here.
Your trees and plants are grown across the United States at various Bower & Branch Growers. Depending on your location, your plant orders may be shipped from various locations. Please expect orders with multiple items to be delivered over a number of days as a result. Orders made up of numerous items or selections will not arrive at your home on the same day.
Shipping Delays:
From time to time, Bower & Branch Growers may determine to delay order shipment based on various factors for plant health. Weather in your region, as well as, where your plants are grown, is always considered when shipping. Extreme weather conditions may delay some or all of your order. Bower & Branch allows our Growers to make final shipping decisions based solely to benefit your trees and plants’ health and success.
How Does Sizing Work?
The size of our trees have nothing to do with the container size like you may find elsewhere–big doesn't mean just height - it’s also vigor, age, and overall health. Other online retailers are going to tell you that a plant is a seven gallon, that means nothing to your tree or plant (or you.)
Our trees for sale online are graded on large, x-large, and even bigger sizes. This is because our trees are sized by their age—the higher the letter, the more mature the tree. The age determines the trees’ overall height, size of the trunk and the overall branch density.
All of these characteristics are what you should be looking for when choosing a tree for immediate impact and instant curb appeal. Our extra-large tree and plant sizes are sure to wow you and your neighbors!
See the size guides below.
