When I looked out the office window at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens toward our Rhythm and Blue’s Garden I could tell there was an evolvulus performing like none I had ever seen. I was surprised too, as I felt like I was Mr. Evolvulus.
I say that ‘tongue and cheek’ as there is a very good chance you are wondering what in the world is an evolvulus. I am talking about the rarest blue flowers in the garden world, borne all summer on one of the toughest plants you’ll ever grow.
Back in 1996 when I was with Mississippi State University and the coordinator of the Mississippi Medallion Award Program a variety called Blue Daze garnered the first award. A decade later Hawaiian Blue Eyes came out that was even better.
But this day looking out my window I could tell this one was even better. It was Blue My Mind, with larger flowers, more flowers, a deeper intensity of color and flowers persisting all day rather than closing.
Every day during our prolific heat and humidity these troopers performed beyond my wildest belief. Blue My Mind is considered a hybrid and the industry has tagged them with the name dwarf morning glory.
However, this plant has zero in common with the vining invasive morning glory other than being in the Convolvulaceae family. Think of it as a compact mounding bush 12 inches tall and adorned with uncountable icy blue flowers. At the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in North Carolina, it captured the top award for early summer, mid-summer, late summer and overall too. At the University of Georgia Trials, it won the Classic City Award in 2012.
Lest you think it just won in the South consider it was tops at Michigan State University, Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, Longwood Gardens and Texas A & M. That should pretty well convince you this plant is well worth your gardening dollar.
The botanical name Evolvulus means to untwist or not climb. Blue My Mind reaches about 12 inches tall spreading outward to around 24 inches. That’s pretty special for a plant that is in the morning glory family. Space your plants 12 to 24 inches apart. This low growing form makes it the perfect plant for the front of the border.
The icy light blue flowers are produced from spring until frost. The flowers aren’t the only attribute. Blue My Mind has olive grey-green leaves that make it stand out when partnered with the more typical green leafed plants and combine wonderfully with others that are grey or silver leafed.
Blue My Mind is perfect for a variety of applications from hanging baskets to filler plants in mixed containers. Plant yours in a sunny location to the front of the border in early spring after the last frost. Since Blue My Mind has the ability to perform for a very long season it pays to prepare your bed properly.
Work in 3 to 4 inches of organic matter, along with 2 pounds of a slow release fertilizer like a 12-6-6 per 100 square feet of bed space. You might wonder why this is necessary for such a tough plant. The answer is drainage. Blue My Mind and other varieties of evolvulus do not like to sit in wet soggy conditions so good drainage is an absolute.
Not too many plants are this maintenance-free. Watering during dry periods and light monthly applications of fertilizer will keep your plants blooming until frost. No deadheading is needed.
If you have the need for clear icy blue in your garden or containers you can hardly do better than Blue My Mind evolvulus.
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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of, “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)
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