From my mail box:

I found this plant with the blue flowers and striking green and white buds in a vacant area here in Ocala .
I have no idea what it is. Have never seen anything like it before.
It has semi-wooden stems and grows sort of like a small shrub.
I tried looking it up without much luck.

I am hoping that maybe you might know what it is.
It is a close-up picture of course. The buds do not get that large as in the picture.

• Blue Sage (Eranthemum pulchellum)
• Uploaded by stone

Seems familiar....
But I'm hitting on blank.

Based on the photo, I knew it had to be a member of the Acanthaceae family so after a little research, I think I found it...
Eranthemum pulchellum!

http://toptropicals.com/catalo...

It is so pretty!

Thanks Danita!
I think you're right... Just gotta confirm with my friend...

I found this blog post of pics.

It's always fun to learn about a new flower! If it wasn't tender and winter-blooming, I'd be hunting down a source.

Make sure your friend sees this pic as it shows those distinctive bracts very clearly:
http://toptropicals.com/pics/g...

Everyone around here calls this plant "Blue Sage" which was really confusing to me. There's a very large, beautiful specimen of Blue Sage (Eranthemum pulchellum) at our little Botanical Gardens here in my area. I got cuttings a few months ago that rooted easily and I hope to find a shady spot in the yard to plant them in spring!