Ceratostigma willmottianum

This beautiful summer to fall blooming deciduous shrub should be on everyone's radar. It produces clusters of 1” cobalt blue flowers in late summer and autumn, while its diamond-shaped 2” leaves turn from green to bright red as winter approaches. Red stems reflect this change in color. It slowly forms a 3'x4' shrub, with a habit that is both mounding and spreading. Its vivid blue flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds so plant it where they can easily find it. This is one of the sturdiest and most beautiful of all fall shrubs and one of the few that offers true blue flowers. It blends in nicely with taller shrubs yet is attractive enough to use as a focal point. Most will want to situate it in the ground but where necessary, it can be grown in a container. Plant in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil. Give regular water. Deer resistant.