Companion Plants in Yellow and Blue
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are a widely loved wildflower.
One of its best companions, however, is not so widely loved. I speak of Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), which is peaking in my garden along with the Bluebells even as I write this.
These plants perfect for each other. There are the simultaneously blooming flowers – blue for the Mertensia, golden yellow for the Stylophorum. I always like to mix blue and yellow blooms.
Then there is the contrast of foliage shape: lobed and oak-like for Celandine Poppies and rounded leaves for the Bluebells, though the leaves of each have a similar bluish green hue. Also, these two plants prefer the same woodsy, part shade conditions.
Some people consider Celandine Poppies to be weedy, and they do tend to seed themselves about with more enthusiasm than is strictly necessary. However the seedlings are not difficult to remove – and a mass of blooming Celandine Poppies are an energizing sight.
Celandine Poppies are not ephemerals like Virginia Bluebells. Their foliage does get ratty during a hot summer, but fresh leaves (and sometimes flowers) will sprout when the weather cools.
Celandine Poppies are probably not a good fit for a formal garden, but they can add a great deal of pleasure to an an informal cottage or wildflower garden. The same is true, I think, of Virginia Bluebells.
Do you grow Celandine Poppies in your garden?
gardeninacity 
I have never heard of them before, but they would probably need damper soil than I can offer. They do look pretty though, especially next to blue.
The Celandine Poppies can actually tolerate a fairly dry soil.
The poppies look lovely – it’s not one I’ve heard of in Australia, but they certainly would brighten a shady spot – I really like the bird fountain amongst the bluebells 🙂
I do too – but I have to figure out what to do when the bluebells die back!
Both my Virginia Bluebells and Celandine Poppies have diminished on the north side of my garage–Virginia Waterleaf may be pushing them out. My bluebells, however are thriving and increasing on the other side of the back yard where it’s sunnier, but the Celandine Poppy refused to grow there. I agree it’s a beautiful combination.
I don’t have Virginia Waterleaf. Never heard of Celendine Poppy refusing to grow anywhere.
I like your fountain and I bet the birds do too. I’ve not seen the celandine poppies before, but they do go well with the Virginia bluebell.
I have only seen Celandine Poppies for sale in catalogs and online, never in garden centers.
I should send you a picture of my bountiful celandine poppies in full bloom a month ago and there are still some in flower. I love them, and the mertensia. At present they are on opposite sides of the garden but having seen your pics, must arrange a meeting!
Definitely!
Good reminder to add Celadine poppies to my current garden. I’ve had them in a previous space, but they didn’t do as well as I hoped. I think I have better conditions for them here, though. They certainly make a nice show in your garden, especially with the Virginai bluebells.
You rarely hear of Celandine Poppies not adapting well to any set of growing conditions.
Great combination. I really like those Virginia bluebells. Your celandine poppies look very happy. I should add both to my wish list.
I think you would be happy with them.
I like that cottagey feel from the two plants. This is a pretty spring look, especially by the new birdbath.
Thank you! Now I have to figure out what to do when the Virginia Bluebells die back.
I can’t use the plant you have in your gardens, but I love that blue/yellow pairing–just so gorgeous, no matter what the blooms. The Virginia bluebells are lovely.
I imagine the Mertensia and Stylophorum can’t take the dry heat of your region.
Believe it or not, I tried celandine poppies in my first garden… and they disappeared within two years! (Yet I was able to nurse Eucalyptus perriniana through three winters in a zone where it’s not supposed to survive; go figure) I’m beginning to think I may be cursed as far as “spring yellows” are concerned, because not only is Eranthis hyemalis a challenge for me, but another supposedly rampant spreader (goldenstar, Chrysogonum virginianum) didn’t seem to want to spread very much in garden #4.
That is surprising. Well, you can always go for yellow daffodils.
No celandine poppies here, but the buttercups have a similar look. I love their shiny, sunny attitude. Not so crazy about their mission to take over the world, starting right here.
An ambition they share with many other plants, but at least they spread only be seed, not by rhizome.
blue and yellow, my favorite combination !
Definitely one of mine, though I also love orange and blue.
I love yellow and blue together….in my kitchen and garden!
Judy likes soft yellows inside, though she has never mixed in blue.
They work very well together. I love to see blue and yellow flowers growing together. Blue and orange is good too.
I agree.
I don’ t have much success with Mertensia and Stylophrum is far too invasive here. My take on the blue and yellow theme is the Welsh poppy, Meconopsis cambrica with Brunnera or bluebells, Hyacinthoides. The Welsh poppy is quite invasive but so pretty. Sometimes the flowers are orange but more usually yellow.
Just looked up the Welsh Poppy, but I can’t find out if it is hardy in my region. Apparently it is adapted to rocky ground, which is not what we have around here. The flower is quite similar to Celandine Poppy.
The Celandine poppies are not a plant I see growing here but as per Chloris above the welsh poppy is and they seed far too much for my liking, so would not put them in the garden.
Your yellow and blue combo is nice – I had yellow and blue earlier with daffs and lungwort. I’ve just bought myself a rather lovely blue Anemone trullifolia, I should think about pairing it with some yellow.
Perhaps some yellow tulips?
I have wanted celandine poppies for some time now. Yours look stunning in that mass planting paired with the bluebells Jason! And your new fountain is so pretty! Have a great week in the garden! Nicole
Thanks! If it would only stop raining!
The blue and yellow together are perfect! My favourite colour combo too, as well as orange/blue. I have a lot of borage and Chelidonium majus. Unlike your celandine poppies the last is quite hard to weed out. I always worry I’ll lose things like the borage because I tend to weed too much. Didn’t know that mertensia was an ephemeral.
There is quite a bit of borage planted at the Chicago Botanic Garden – I should try some. They have a dwarf borage that is a little less overwhelming. Chelidonium I am not familiar with, just googled it and it is very attractive.
Blue and yellow is always a winning combination for me! Your bird bath sits so prettily amngst them!xxx
Thanks!
I plant yellow with blue at this time of year too. Always a nice combo.
Definitely.
I do not grow them, but I like the color combination and I love your water fountain. 🙂
Thanks! Of course there are lots of blue/yellow flower combinations.
Very pretty! I have both the celandine poppy and the mertensia growing in my shady mini-woodland area, too, along with sweet woodruff, some phlox divaricata, trillium, etc…..it is a magical area right now! Along with some invading lily of the valley, some random woods geraniums, lunaria, May apples, Jacob’s ladder, hesperis, “false” forget-me-nots, and ferns – it’s quite the show.
And there’s more! I have to fight to keep them all under control, and by mid-summer it’s kind of boring, but for now it’s a great pleasure.
My bluebells are under (over?) planted with some huge hostas, which are just now poking up through them and starting to open their leaves. This works very, very well to cover the declining foliage – it was sort of accidental to begin with, but works out quite nicely, so I would recommend it.
That is quite the show! I grow some of the plants you mention, but not all.Also, it is true that it’s more of a challenge to keep shade gardens interesting into the summer, though this is where I rely on annuals like Caladiums and Impatiens.
Good idea – I should try this. I don’t think I’ve ever tried Caladiums. In the sunnier more open area I have a hydrangea and some tiger lilies, and have failed repeatedly through the years to get good areas of nicotiana, which always seems like it should work, but never does. I want the huge fragrant ones!
I did read up more on celandine poppies after reading your (terrific!) blog and supposedly if we deadhead them we can keep them blooming throughout the summer – news to me. I will try that this summer, too. They do say the sap is nasty, though…..
I have been meaning to and now you have reminded me about this plant…I have the perfect spot for them.
I’m sure you’ll like them.
I had one once but it went dormant and decided to die instead of coming back. I love blue and yellow together. Maybe it’s my Swedish heritage coming out. Bluebells grow wild here. We have fields of them along the rivers. :o) I think your poppies and bluebells look great together! :o)
Fields of bluebells along the river … sounds nice.
Blue and yellow is a classic combination. I used to have spires of blue delphiniums as a backdrop to a bright yellow rose. I now have a yellow rose with a blue clematis growing through it – it’s very young and hopefully wont die but my track record with these things isn’t great. The garden has a lot of blue forget-me-nots that self-seed all over the place so I have a ready-made blue foil to work with.
The delphinium and rose sounds wonderful.
Love this combination. happy sigh
Me too!