Deinanthe caerulea is the Chinese counterpart to the Japanese Deinanthe bifida, hailing from 2,500-5,000′ elevation in western Hubei province. While both deinanthe species form an 18″ tall x 3′ wide clump of upright stems in the garden, the stems of Deinanthe caerulea have four heavily serrated terminal leaves without tip branching, while Deinanthe bifida has a hydrangea-like spacing of leaves up and down the stalk. Deinanthe caerulea is topped in early July with small terminal clusters of intricate nodding blue flowers composed of a stigma and hundreds of anthers…so very cute. Deinanthe caerulea doesn’t have the heat tolerance of Deinanthe bifida, so be sure to plant it in cooler sections of the woodland garden with good moisture and good drainage.
