Scutellaria Incana

Hoary skullcap is an upright North American perennial with softly scalloped green leaves, their undersides covered in pale hairs. Branching stems carry numerous deep blue, velvety tubular flowers from early summer into autumn, giving a long and valuable display above the clump. The unusual calyx develops a small shield-like crest, the feature behind the name Scutellaria. Hardy, adaptable and attractive to bees, it works well in prairie schemes, cottage borders and woodland edges where the soil remains moderately moist without becoming waterlogged.