Houstonia caerulea (Bluets) - a photographic essay

[Harold Peachey]

I got this plant last year as Houstonia serpyllifolia very nice blue growing an a small bog garden.

[McDonough]

Very nice Harold, a good clear blue color, I like it, wish I had some as blue as that!  Hopefully it'll seed around for you.  

I'm starting to tuck little bits of H. caerulea at the edges of woodland paths, in the tiniest of spots between rocks and logs, and they look so perky and natural.  Here is one such scenario:

[Hoy]

Very cute flowers!
Can hardly wait for my seedlings to appear

[externmed]

Funny how they thrive in barren compacted clay soil, but die out in garden soil, at least in my part of Massachusetts.  Occasionally get a few in the lawn, too.

"Solarized" a patch of barren soil and they bloomed there next spring, suggesting that plants germinating in the early fall can flower the next spring.

Charles Swanson NE Massachusetts

[McDonough]

Late in the season, Houstonia caerulea retracts into a basal cushion of foliage.  Older plants tend to die off, so I would call this species a short-lived perennial, fortunately seedlings are popping up here and there, which I welcome.  In the first photo you can see some seedling plants off to the right of a parent plant, with some dried flower stem remnants.  In the photo on the right is a mound that flowered prolifically all spring and well into the summer, showing a profusion of dried stem remnants, the mound looking strong and hunkered down for the winter.