Over Wintering Blue Daze
Blue daze is a beautiful ornamental flower evergreen plant in the Convolvulaceae family and is native to Brazil and Paraguay, this tropical beauty can brighten up your spring and summer garden. The Evolvulus or the blue daze which is its common name grows to a height of 12 inches with a spread of 2-3 ft.
The blue daze plant produces clusters of bright blue flowers and gray leaves that are fuzzy in appearance. Blue daze will continue to produce beautiful flower bloom until the first frost during the fall months.
What I also love about blue daze is it attracts pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds and is also deer resistant. These garden beauties can also be container grown as well as growing in baskets.
Paint your garden and landscapes with this tropical beauty, in this article, however, we will be discussing how to overwinter your blue daze plants
How to Over Winter Blue Daze?
1. Blue daze is generally grown as an annual in areas but as a subtropical perennial plant in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9-13. Once exposed to the extreme cold blue daze will die back during the winter months.
During the first week of March which is early spring, trim the blue daze a few inches from its main source. Keep your blue daze well-watered, however, make sure when water not to saturate the soil, keep the soil somewhat moist.
Because the spring months is the growing season for plants fertilizes your blue daze once a month with a light application of 12-6-6 liquid fertilizer. For the best results read the manufactures label. Deadheading or removing flowers that have faded or died will encourage blue daze to put forth healthy beautiful flower blooms.
2. During the summer months remove cuttings from an established or mature blue daze by pruning. The cuttings can then be placed in a potting medium or quality garden soil, once this is complete take you cuttings that you have potted in 6-inch containers and store them in a cool location that receives lots of sunlight. When watering your cuttings the soil should be moist at all times and not waterlogged.
3. A suggestion that has been made is “to cover your blue daze flowering plants with mulch or a piece of cloth or burlap will help to protect it during the winter months. Although it will die back to the ground it will regrow when the warm season arrives.
4. If you’re growing blue daze in containers or baskets you can always remove and place the container/basket in an area that is protected from the winter frost. The location where you move your blue daze should also get bright indirect sunlight. Keep checking the soil and water as needed or if the first top few inches of soil feel dry to the touch.
These are just a few ways to winterize your blue days, what do you do to protect or winterize your blue daze flowering plant?
Bonus Tip
If your blue daze gets too long and leggy you can always cut them back a little and they will full out again. Remove any dry or dead wood with a hand pruner.
The final word on blue daze winter care
The blue daze plant is just simply amazing, this tropical beauty will give a taste of the tropics with its clusters of bright blue flower bloom. The winter months can be harsh on garden plants, the good news, however, is you now have the knowledge of how to winterize your blue daze so come spring they will bounce back again as they paint your garden and landscapes with their beautiful color and may I add attracting wildlife as well.
About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Great site, overall it is very informative, and helpful. I only do any planting during the spring, but it is only plants for food, not much in the way of flowers. With the way things are right now it is great have a site that can help people understand about planting and caring for them. It is a really nice site,
Thank you so much and all the best to you.
The Blue Daze is a beautiful plant with flowers that are a gorgeous shade of blue! I would love to see these in my garden at home every year, but not sure that it would work in my zone (southern US but definitely not tropical). Thanks for the tips to help them survive the winter and thrive when it’s time to bloom!
These plants are amazing, I am so happy to help.
I love the color of the Blue Daze flower. A growth of 2 to 3 feet wide, and 12 inches tall would make a nice bit of color in a flower garden. Knowing it is deer resistant and attracts butterflies is a bonus. It would have to be grown as an annual here in Manitoba. Would I be able to bring the Blue Daze inside over winter?
Container or basket grown blue daze can be brought indoors and placed in and area that gets bright indirect sunlight. Hope this helps.
What a gorgeous plant. Too bad it won’t grow here. I like the tender loving care that you can provide this plant, especially the part about the cuttings, where we can generate new plants. I had not heard the term “long and leggy” but it really makes sense. I’ve know many plants, especially petunias, that get that way. Let me ask you a question: can you pot this plant or does it need to soley be in the ground. I ask because I wonder if it will survive a winter indoors. Thanks.
Warren
Blue daze can be potted in a container or basket . With a container or basket they can be brought indoors. Hope this helps .