I've been really good at not purchasing a lot of plants for my gardens this summer … too many other things to take care of and too little time. But when I ran across Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Summer Sorbet' with its showy green leaf variegation and striking electric blue blossoms, I caved.

I caved, came home, looked around for the right spot, identified two, then caved again. Summer Sorbet deux came to live here too.

My twin deciduous shrubs stand about 3 feet tall and wide. Both are a tad misshapen, but this minor issue will be easily remedied with a good late-winter pruning. The leaf variegation – in multiple shades of green, and the electric blue late-summer blossoms were just too much for me, and a host of bees, to resist.

And to complement this beauty and striking color is supposed deer resistance. I say supposed since I've heard this before. Only time will prove whether the deer in my locale actually find Miss Caryopteris unpalatable … keeping my fingers crossed.

My Caryopteris twins will sit on either side of the steps leading to my long front porch. They will join a few boxwood, some perennials (Louisiana Iris, mounds of Campanula carpatica, Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina), and other small perennials, and they'll add some much appreciated late season color to a spot that tends to look rather tired this time of year.

Have you splurged on a late summer purchase that you simply could not resist?  What caught your eye?

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