12 Beautiful Blue Flowers for Every Garden

Did you know that blue is the most popular color? It’s certainly my favorite, and my flower garden often reflects that. Blue flowers can be surprisingly hard to find, though. To me, that just makes them all the more special. I love to pair blue flowers with pink or orange blooms for a wonderful contrast. A garden full of cool white and blue flowers is also a balm for the eyes on a hot summer day.

If you’d like to add more blue flowers to your garden this year, here are some to seek out.

Balloon Flower

Courtesy Suzanne Compton

Platycodon grandiflorus, Zones 3 to 8

Be patient with this blue flower. Balloon flower blooms in the second year when grown from seed. The blue flower buds look like balloons before opening.

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Courtesy Amy Munroe

Cornflower

Centaurea cyanus, Annual

Perhaps the bluest of all blue flowers, cornflower is usually grown from seed. This plant is also commonly known as bachelor’s button.

Courtesy Susan Perren

Delphinium

Delphinium, Zones 4 to 8

The blooms also come in pink and white, but delphiniums are some of the best blue flowers available.

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Courtesy Caroline Brooke

Statice

Limonium, Annual

This blue flower is commonly grown for dried arrangements and bouquets. Statice also attracts butterflies.

Courtesy Sarah Hadwin

Morning Glory

Ipomoea, Annual

Look for ‘Heavenly Blue’ for the best blue blooms. Be advised that this flowering vine can be somewhat aggressive.

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Courtesy Liz Tabb

Salvia

Salvia sp., Annual

There are many blue salvia species, including black and blue salvia, mealycup sage, pitcher sage, Playin’ the Blues salvia, and meadow sage. This variety makes it easy to find the right ones for your garden.

Courtesy Ashley Harbison

Plumbago

Plumbago auriculata, Zones 9 to 11

This sprawling shrub with blue flowers thrives in heat and full sun. Southern gardeners will have the most success with plumbago. As a bonus, it is drought-tolerant once established.

Courtesy Betsy Staples

Blue Cardinal Flower

Lobelia siphilitica, Zones 4 to 9

Cardinal flower comes in bright red and cool blue. This plant, which is beloved by hummingbirds and other pollinators, prefers moist soil.

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Courtesy Sherry Thomas

Blue Columbine

Aquilegia vulgaris, Zones 3 to 8

Here’s another good choice for gardeners who are looking for true-blue flowers. These spring bloomers are uniquely lovely in shady woodland gardens. As a bonus, Columbine flowers attract hummingbirds!

Courtesy Sandy Richardson

Spiderwort

Tradescantia sp., Zones 3 to 9

A native wildflower, spiderwort boasts bright yellow stamens that emphasize the blue flowers among grasslike foliage. Plant it in a sunny area with moist soil.

Courtesy Nina Silverman Weeks

Virginia Bluebells

Mertensia virginica, Zones 3 to 9

This wildflower of the East and Midwest makes an ideal companion plant for daffodils and hostas, then it dies back until the next year. Grow Virginia bluebells in humus-rich moist soil and the plants will self-sow into a colony. This early-spring bloom provides nectar for bees and other pollinators.

Courtesy Karen Brown

Grape Hyacinth

Muscari armeniacum, Zones 3 to 9

If you’re into pretty blue hues and want plants that are super easy to maintain, seek out grape hyacinth. This low-growing plant is a welcome sight after a long winter. Plant the bulbs in autumn and look forward to beautiful blooms in spring. Butterflies love it, too.