The traditional Christmas red hasn't shown up in my early December garden. Looking out upon the garden I find the cooler colors of the spectrum. There are two flowering bushes that are filled with shades of blue and purple.
Blue Butterfly Bush, Clerodendrum ugandense, has a cluster of two-toned blue blooms on every branch tip. These flowers look like small butterflies but I've never noticed that they attract any real butterflies.
While freeze sensitive, this bush readily sprouts up from the roots in spring. I've only had flowers on mine in the fall, but they keep blooming until really cold winter weather arrives.
Another fall to winter bloomer is the Purple Salvia, Salvia purpurea. This sprawling bush has gracefully arching stems that bend under the weight of large spikes of purple flowers. The hummingbirds love this one.
I have sited the Purple Sage just outside the back porch so that the hummingbirds are easy to watch. Sometimes I even hear the buzzing of their wings.
The mild temperatures and sunny days experienced here in central Florida have made the garden a delightful place to be.
