Verbenaceae; native to China and Japan.

Germination: Best sown indoors at 68-70° and at a depth 4 times the size of the seed. Seeds will germinate in 16 to 24 days. Can also be sown outdoors from spring (after frost) to early fall (before first frost).

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Site in full sun to light shade in a light, well-drained soil. It prefers only moderate fertility. Over fertilizing will increase growth, but at the expense of floral display.

Appearance and Use: Bluebeard is a shrub prized for adding blue flowers to a mixed border, be it a perennial or shrub border. A deciduous shrub, though it has no appreciable fall color, it is grown for its blue (sometimes white) flowers and aromatic foliage (smells of mint when crushed). Fragrant flowers appear in late summer through autumn in rounded cymes that emerge from the upper leaf axils. The ovate leaves are gray-green with a toothed margin and are 3 inches long. Bluebeard grows to 4 feet tall and spreads to 5 feet.