Sweet Woodruff Blue Surprise

Blue Surprise loves cool weather, happiest in rich, somewhat moist soil that receives at least partial shade. The funnel-shaped blooms arise in cheery clusters held well away from the foliage, and are delightful in indoor arrangements as well as in the garden. The plant itself reaches just a foot high and wide, so feel free to tuck it into any available bare spot -- or design a big planting such as a curving line of color and scent to wind through the shady bed or border!

Terrific for containers from small pots to windowboxes, Blue Surprise is easy to grow and fuss-free. It doesn't like extremely hot weather, so it may not survive the ravages of late summer, but by that time you will have had months and months of fabulous performance! In cooler regions, its foliage continues to look and smell fresh right up until frost.

You can direct-sow Sweet Woodruff in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. But if you can't wait that long for its lovely foliage, start indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost date, and chill the pots or flats (our Bio-Dome is perfect for this!) in the fridge for 2 weeks, then move them to a cool (about 50 degrees is ideal) spot to germinate. It transplants readily into the garden, and is a nice companion to other shade lovers such as Coleus and Begonia. Pkt is 100 seeds.