Anybody know a blue flowered climber

Ste73

Hi all, I volunteer at a school and am looking to plant up the entrance in school colours (blue and white). Can anybody suggest a perennial climber with preferably royal blue flowers. It's quite a sunny spot and would need to be quite low maintenance. Thank-you

KeenOnGreen

Only one I know is Sollya heterophylla, the Australian bluebell creeper, but it's not fully hardy in the UK.  I lost a couple to frost in London.  Depends on what you consider to be blue, lots of Clematis are blue/purple (but I would personally say they are really purple and not true blue).

Ste73

Thanks I'll look into that. I totally agree, to me blue is blue, but in the plant world it seems blue is actually purple, that's why I'm struggling to find one.

K67

Some ceanothus climb but they really are shrubs so depends on the space.
Are you growing in tubs or the ground?

Hostafan1

Aconitum Hemsleyanum, but it'll have "elf'n'safety" issues because it's poisonous, ( but so are rhubarb leaves)

Ste73

In the ground against the school fence K67.

Joy*

If you were prepared to have an annual,  Ipomea has blue varieties. Perhaps you could grow it through a white climber? Or, would it be possible to use a blue flowered shrub through which a white climber could be trained?

Ste73

I was hoping to have both colour climbers Joy*, white doesn't seem a problem, will probably go for Jasmine, but blue always seems to actually be purple. Also was hoping for perennial as the school finance office would be happier

Hostafan1

Ste73 said:

I was hoping to have both colour climbers Joy*, white doesn't seem a problem, will probably go for Jasmine, but blue always seems to actually be purple. Also was hoping for perennial as the school finance office would be happier

I know school budgets are tight, but a packet of seeds once a year? Surely it could be justified on the educational benefits of teaching pupils about sowing seeds/ germination/ planting?

Joy*

Hostafan is right. I bought a packet of Ipomea Heavenly blue 4 years ago and am still using it. I keep the seed packets in a tin in the shed and surprisingly they still germinated this year. For the price of a perennial climber, you could buy lots of seed and compost.

Hostafan1

Why not start a " gardening club" to involve the pupils in growing flowers and fruit and veg? Even a sunny concrete corner could be utilised if suitable planters are installed.