Illustration
Bluebeard
Caryopteris × clandonensis
Also called blue mist shrub and blue spirea
Bluebeard blooms from August through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Bluebeard
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 2.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
No toxicity note is on file for Bluebeard. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Bluebeard
Plant Bluebeard in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from August to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Bluebeard get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2.5 ftwideSee Bluebeard in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Bluebeard
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Bluebeard about 2.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Bluebeard to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Bluebeard's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 10 published sources on September 23, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- Missouri Botanical Garden'Blue Mist' page, shared hybrid textheight, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and diseases
- University of Illinois ExtensionSelecting Shrubs for Your Homeheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water and bloom months and color
- woodyplants.cals.cornell.eduCornell University Woody Plants Databaseheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, soil and diseases
- plantdatabase.uconn.eduUniversity of Connecticut Plant Databaseheight, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and soil
- Chicago Botanic GardenBluebeard plant profileheight, water and soil
- ASPCAPopular Fall Plants: Which Ones Are Pet-Friendly?toxicity
- Plant AddictsAre Bluebeard Poisonous?toxicity
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 2 varieties
Same plant, same care - pick the variety you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Bluebeard group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond Midnight | Blue | Aug–Sep | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft |
| Bluebeardthis page | Blue | Aug–Sep | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft |
| Dark Knight | Blue | Aug–Sep | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft |
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.