The Color of the Year for 2020 is a good one—one of my favorite colors in the garden—Blue Indigo. Each year, Garden Media Group predicts garden trends for the following year, including a trending color. In 2019, they predicted the 2020 Color of the Year to be Indigo. I’d say they were pretty spot-on in this prediction because shortly after they announced Indigo as the go-to color for 2020, the Pantone Color Institute, which is the leading authority on color forecasting, came out and announced that it’s Color of the Year for 2020 would be Classic Blue.
“A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk....Non-aggressive and easily relatable, the trusted PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue lends itself to relaxed interaction. Associated with the return of another day, this universal favorite is comfortably embraced.”
What Color is Indigo?
Indigo can most easily be defined in terms of the visible light spectrum. Do you remember that acronym you learned in 7th grade—ROY G BIV—the colors of the rainbow? Well, Indigo falls right between Blue & Violet. In a more everyday sense, indigo is the color of dark denim. In fact, the dye used for denim jeans used to be derived from a plant in the Indigofera genus, before scientists were able to make a synthetic version. Nowadays, lots of people associate Indigo with being a dark blue color, the color of a midnight sky, and Blue being the characteristic light blue color of a clear blue sky.
I, personally, associate indigo with Indigo Buntings. I’ve only ever had the privilege of meeting one in my backyard, but these beautiful blue birds are the same color as the night skies in which they migrate, twice a year, using the stars for navigation.
All of this to say, the 2020 Color of the Year is BLUE!
I really couldn’t care less about trends, especially living in such a remote area, where I truly garden for my own viewing pleasure. (Oh, and for the birds!) But I do love that Blue is the color of the year for 2020 because I’m a sucker for blue blooms, and I have an inkling that there will be plenty available in garden centers come spring, when I am planting my new garden.
In a gardening sense, it is quite difficult to find true blue flowers. I have sought out many throughout the years, and most end up having a slight violet or purple cast to them, or being more of a baby blue tone when they bloom. There are a few, however, that end up being that eye-catching shade of true blue. That’s why I think the color of this year, in the garden, will encompass shades all along the spectrum, from Blue to Indigo to Violet.
I made this handy list to help inspire you to embrace this year’s color of the year. Each item is linked to photos, more detailed descriptions, and where you can buy them. I find blue fits in gorgeously in the garden. It’s practically a neutral!
Just like blue jeans look good with most anything, blue flowers look good with most anything!
Blue-tiful flowers for 2020
Blue Salvias
One of my favorites, available in a wide variety of choices, some grown best from nursery starts, and some easy enough to grow from seed. Here are just a few:
‘Black & Bloom’ 0r ‘Black & Blue’ are very similar cultivars have beautiful blue flowers and nearly black calyxes that contrast gorgeously with green foliage. They are perennials in USDA Zones 8-10. I used to live in Zone 9, and they overwintered like a charm for at least 3 years—in fact, I am sure they are still alive where I planted them! If grown as a perennial, they benefit from being cutback in late winter/before spring. They are herbaceous salvias, so you can cut them back almost all the way. I normally don’t leave more than a couple inches of stem. You need to cut them back so new growth can get sunlight and proper air circulation. (TIP: You can also prune your pineapple sage this same way!) Proven Winners has a release similar to these two varieties called ‘Rockin’ Blue Suede Shoes’
‘Blue Marvel’ is a cultivar of Salvia nemorosa that was available seemingly everywhere last year. It has grey-green, deer-resistant foliage, and more-violet-than-blue flowers that are all the rage amongst the bumble bees. There is also a ‘Rose Marvel’ cultivar with pink flowers. I planted a combination of these two in 2018 and had no problems overwintering them in Zone 4. They are also an herbaceous salvia, so you’ll need to prune them down, almost completely, before they put on new growth in the spring. Many other blue cultivars of Salvia nemorosa are available, as well. Here are a few: Color Spires ‘Crystal Blue’, Salvia ‘Bumbleblue’, Color Spires ‘Azure Snow’
‘Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues’ is a release from Proven Winners, so it’s probably a winner! I haven’t grown it, personally, but it features violet-blue flowers on indigo calyxes. Apparently, even after the flowers drop, it remains looking good because of the remaining indigo calyxes.
‘Blue Angel’ is a variety of Gentian Sage that can be grown from seed—no stratification required. And this one happens to bloom in true cobalt blue.
Blue Bachelor Button
Also known as blue cornflower, these self-sowing annuals are very easy to grow from seed, have silvery foliage, and bloom in a lovely shade of cobalt blue. Goldfinches love the seed of bachelor’s buttons and you can also make a detoxifying herbal tea from the flowers.
Blue Hydrangea
There are so many gorgeous hydrangeas available nowadays, in varying shades of white, chartreuse, pink, and blue. But I instantly gravitate toward classic Nikko Blue Hydrangeas, planted in very acidic soil to impart classic, true blue coloration of the blooms.
Another Winner—Endless Summer Original Re-blooming Hydrangeas
Blue Love-In-A-Mist
Also known as Nigella, these old-fashioned annuals are easy to grow from seeds, have lovely, feathery foliage, and bloom in charming shades of white, pink, and true blue.
Victoria Blue Forget-Me-Not
These dainty biennials are easy to grow from seed, perform well in the shade, and bloom in their second year. They form star-shaped, sky blue flowers with yellow eyes, before going to seed. They are enthusiastic self-sowers. They do not flourish well in full sun, especially once the heat of summer hits.
There is also another flower, Chinese Forget-Me-Nots, that can be grown more like an annual. These flower the first year, on long stems, in shades of clear blue. You can plant a combination of Chinese Forget-Me-Nots (Summer Bloom) and Victoria Blue Forget-Me-Nots (Spring Bloom)for an extended season of sky blue! Botanical Interests sells a combination seed pack.
Blue Lobelia
One of my favorite understory plants! Edging or Trailing Blue Lobelia is super simple to grow from seed and readily available in inexpensive 6-packs when spring rolls around. It grows in petite 6-8” mounds, covered in lobed flowers of various shades, depending on the variety. You can get any shade of lobelia from light blue (Cambridge Blue) to electric blue (Crystal Palace) to white flecked in true blue (Riviera ‘Blue Splash’).
Blue Delphinium
There are many wonderful cultivars of this pretty perennial available today, in various shades of blue, among other colors. They boast tall, showy spikes of flowers, that emerge from truly deer-resistant, open mounds of lobed leaves. I have had good success with the ‘Magic Fountain’ Series, which features slightly shorter, sturdier flower spikes. The blooms are almost ultraviolet and a showstopper, for sure! Some other varieties that I love, but have not grown myself, are ‘Million Dollar Blue’ and ‘Million Dollar Sky’—both from Proven Winners.
I would recommend planting delphiniums from starts, rather than seed. And please, plan on staking them for best performance. The bloom stalks get very heavy and are prone to flopping, especially in windy conditions.
If you prefer to grow from seed, you can try Blue Larkspur, which is the annual counterpart to delphinium. It’s in the same family (Ranunculaceae) but can be grown as an annual, from seed, and flowers in the first year.
Heavenly Blue Morning Glory
This vining annual is one of the first flowers I ever grew. They are easy to grow from seed, especially if you soak the seeds for ~24 hours. They bloom in the morning and the flowers are literally as glorious as the blue morning sky! Be careful though, as these self-sow like gangbusters!
‘Blue My Mind’ Dwarf Morning Glory
This is a plant I am going to be incorporating into some of my container plantings for this year. It loves heat, and has perfectly petite, five-petaled flowers in a gorgeous shade of indigo.
Bluestar Amsonia
These long lived, herbaceous, native perennials produce dense clusters of perfectly-periwinkle, star-shaped flowers each spring. Beautiful plants, all around, from the time their steely-blue shoots emerge each spring, to the time their foliage turns gold each fall. A really gorgeous cultivar is ‘Storm Cloud’.
Blue Butterfly Pea
I have not grown these, personally, but many of my friends on Instagram grow these bright cobalt blue pea flowers, native to Southeast Asia. The vigorous vines thrive in high heat and humidity and produce a plethora of flowers, that are perfect for brewing into bright blue teas. Blue Butterfly Peas would be fun to grow with kids because they are so vivid & colorful, and you can teach kids a lesson in the science of pH. If you brew a cup of blue butterfly tea, and then drop lemon juice in it, it will transform to the color pink!