Ceratostigma willmottianum...blue flowers look somehow better in cool weather

Looking at the inflorescence closely reveals why, how actually, this plant blooms continuously from mid-summer to frost. I'm repeating myself, but  I will again point out that P. willmottianum is perfectly hardy for us here in USDA HZ 7-b. Last winter the aboveground parts came through undamaged. Most years it returns as a dieback perennial. It's definitely worth a shot if you like blue flowers.

We propagated this plant earlier in the summer so we'll have a dozen or so to plant next year. I'm not sure what to do with them. Small flowers in a  color that recedes under the best of circumstances tend to be overwhelmed by the oppressive light of summer. It's a wonderful plant to see silhouetted against the blue sky but since it only grows to a few feet in height that requires a special situation. It does works wonderfully near swimming pools where you actually look up at plants two feet tall! We don't have a swimming pool in the Asian Collections. Maybe a bank of it somewhere in partial shade near the trail against dark rocks? At close range, the color is sufficient justification for a planting.