Annuals & Biennials

Anchusa
anchusa

Height 9-18 in (23-45 cm)
Planting distance 9 in (23 cm)
Flowers mid-to late summer
Ordinary garden soil Sunny, open site
Tender annual

Anchusa capensis, the only annual in a predominantly perennial genus, bears some of the few truly blue flowers. Like the forget-me-not, which it closely resembles, it flowers over a long season, from mid-to late summer. Only at the season's end do the plants begin to look bedraggled, with many more spent flowers than new ones. The plants form compact domes of narrow, pointed, midgreen leaves, making them suitable for the front of a border; the dwarf cultivar 'Blue Angel' is also useful for window boxes.

Popular species and cultivars
Striking cultivars have been developed from Anchusa capensis.
'Blue Angel' produces ultramatrine-blue flowers and forms domes that are 9 in (23 cm) high.
'Blue Bird' has vivid indigo-blue flowers and reaches 11/2 ft (45 cm).
'Dawn Hybrids' grow 9 in (23 cm) tall and come as a mixture of white, pink, pale blue, and deep blue starlike flowers.

Annuals
and
Biennials