Zenobia pulverulenta 'Woodlanders Blue'

A rare gem of the Southeastern coastal plain, chosen for the bluest foliage of the tribe. Zenobia pulverulenta 'Woodlanders Blue' is a semi-evergreen shrub of the heath family, native to the pocosins and pine savannas of the coastal Carolinas, and grown above all for striking powder-blue, glaucous foliage and hanging clusters of white, bell-shaped flowers in early summer. Woodlanders selected and introduced this exceptionally blue form, which has since won wider recognition.

The two features play beautifully against each other: the dusty blue leaves, dusted as if with powder, which is what the species name pulverulenta means, and the pure white, anise-scented bells that dangle in graceful racemes like a larger, looser lily-of-the-valley. Honeycup earns a place in leaf as much as in flower, holding color through much of the year.

A moisture-loving, low-maintenance native, 'Woodlanders Blue' thrives in acidic, sandy, or peaty soils in full sun to part shade, at home in a woodland garden, a native or pollinator planting, a rain garden, or a bog edge. The fragrant flowers draw bees and other pollinators, and the compact frame of two to four feet suits a smaller garden.

Zenobia was virtually unavailable from nurseries until Woodlanders began offering the plant, and the elegant presence and easy adaptability have made this blue selection a sought-after native shrub for gardeners after ornamental foliage and spring bloom.