Bearded Beard: Location, Hardiness & Propagation

The beard flower immediately catches the eye, especially with its bright blue flowers. It gives off a pleasant scent that also attracts bees and bumblebees.

The Beardflower (caryopteris) is a popular and easy-care ornamental plant for the garden. We show you how to plant them correctly and present the most beautiful varieties. There are also tips for successful hibernation.

Beard flower: flowering time, properties and origin

The Beardflower (caryopteris x clandonensis) is a species from the plant genus of bearded flowers (caryopteris) from China. The genus belongs to the mint family (Lamiaceae) and includes seven different types. Hybrids were created by crossing two species caryopteris x clandonensis, which has become very popular in our latitudes as an ornamental plant for the garden. The beard flower blooms from July to September and shines in bright blue. The deciduous subshrub grows up to a meter tall and wide, loses its grey-green foliage in winter and then often freezes back. However, the beard flower is perennial, drives out again and again in spring and blooms again in summer. An aromatic scent emanates from the green leaves.

Is the beard bee friendly? The beard flower is not only beautiful to look at, but also delights bees and bumblebees. The insects use the flower nectar in late summer as a food source and serve as a pollinator for the bearded beard.

The most beautiful varieties

Of the seven species that occur in Asia, only the hybrid is with us caryopteris x clandonensis relevant. she was dating Caryopteris incana and Caryopteris mongholica bred. In turn, different varieties of beard flowers were created, some of which we present here:

• caryopteris x clandonensis 'Heavenly Blue': The bearded beard 'Heavenly Blue' forms a particularly large number of shoots and therefore also many flowers that shine in a deep blue or violet.
• caryopteris x clandonensis 'Kew Blue': This variety, on the other hand, does not grow very vigorously and, in addition to the blue flowers, is particularly noticeable due to its grey-green foliage.
• caryopteris x clandonensis 'Grand Blue': With more than 100 cm, the 'Grand Bleu' bearded beard can become relatively large and convinces with very dark blue flowers and dark green foliage.
• caryopteris x clandonensis 'Dark Knight': The whisker 'Dark Knight' forms flowers in midnight blue and grows up to 100 cm tall.
• caryopteris x clandonensis 'Blue Balloon': The flowers of the bearded beard 'Blue Balloon' form spherical clusters and the shrub itself grows spherical and compact.
• caryopteris x clandonensis 'Blue Sparrow': The bearded beard 'Blauer Spatz' develops dark blue flowers and grows to a height of about 70 cm. The leaves are shiny.

Plant beard flower: location and procedure

The location of the beard flower should be sheltered, as sunny as possible and dry to fresh. A certain amount of soil moisture is beneficial, but waterlogging is much worse tolerated than drought. Especially in winter, heavy and wet soils make bearded flowers difficult. The soil should be humic, loose and slightly acidic or alkaline, because the beard flower has no problems with lime. If you plant the beard flower, you should keep a distance of at least 50 cm to other plants. The best time for planting is spring, so that the bearded beard can take root well. Planting can also be done in autumn. Dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball. If the soil is very heavy, some sand can be mixed in to increase permeability. Depending on the garden soil, mix in a little compost and place the bearded beard in the bed. Now fill in all gaps with soil, press the substrate on the surface and water well.

The beard flower can also be planted in a pot. A drainage layer should be created before planting to avoid waterlogging. But what kind of soil does the beard flower need in the bucket? A high-quality soil that remains structurally stable for a long time is suitable as a substrate. For example, ours is ideal for this Plantura organic potting soil at. It contains humus and is slightly acidic with a pH of 6.5. It provides flowering plants with the most important nutrients and can store water without waterlogging. It also contains expanded clay, which improves permeability and structural stability. In order to increase the permeability even more, even more expanded clay can be mixed in.

Combine beard flower: What goes with the beard flower?

There are many plants that you can combine with the beard flower. Other shrubs in particular fit well, so that no plant goes under next to the other. For example, roses (pink) outstanding. Also lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) looks good next to the beard flower. Yellow flowering cinquefoils (potentilla) also harmonize with the flowers of the bearded beard and can be used as ground cover in the surrounding area. It is important that the planting partners have similar location requirements as the beard flower. That means they should prefer dry, well-drained soil and lots of sun.

Transplant bearded beard:

If the location proves to be unsuitable, the beard flower is transplanted in spring. Since it has very deep roots, you have to dig deep so that all the roots are caught. A correspondingly deep planting hole should then be dug at the new location. After planting you can as usual the Maintain beard flower. Beard flowers in a pot are repotted in the spring as soon as the old pot has fully rooted.

Is the beard flower hardy?

As long as it is planted in a sheltered spot, the bearded beard is hardy. Temperatures from – 23 to – 17 °C are tolerated over a short period of time. The beard flower can freeze back to the base. But since it sprout strongly in the following spring, this is not a problem. To help the bearded beard through the cold season, you can mulch the soil around the wood, for example with a thick layer of leaves. The most important thing is to protect the roots.

If you keep the bearded beard in the pot, it should be placed on a block of wood. The pot is then wrapped in jute or a similar protective material. Overwintering at temperatures of up to 0 °C in a sheltered place is ideal. To prevent the soil from drying out completely, it should be watered moderately from time to time.

multiply bearded beard

It is possible to multiply the beard flower, but the first bloom is a long time coming. In addition to propagation by seeds, beard flower cuttings are mainly used.

For propagation by cuttings, cut young shoots of about 10 to 15 cm from the mother plant in July/August. These should only be slightly woody and should be cut off with a sharp knife. Remove the lower leaves and place the cuttings in a nutrient-poor growing medium. Here you can for example our Plantura Organic Herb & Seed Soil use, which is specially tailored to the needs of young plants. It consists of natural raw materials and contains no peat. If the shoots are already very lignified, rooting powder should be used. A bright window sill without direct sunlight offers a good location for germination. Temperatures between 16 and 18 °C are required for the cuttings to grow. Keep the soil moist and repot the seedlings if necessary until they are big enough for the flower bed.

tip: The softer the shoots are, the better they root. You can also overwinter the mother plant in the greenhouse and then cut the freshly driven head cuttings in March.

Alternatively, you can collect ripe fruit from the beard flowers in late summer or early fall and use the seeds for propagation. The seeds are then dried and stored at room temperature over the winter. Sowing should be done in March or April. The seeds are lightly covered with soil and the pot covered with a plastic bag or jar.

Is the beard flower poisonous?

The bearded beard is not poisonous to humans or pets. So you don't have to worry about dogs, cats and children and you can plant the beard flower in the garden without hesitation.

Would you like to have more bee-friendly plants in your garden? We give tips on Planting a bee pasture.