Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Blooming Time
Exposure
An excellent deciduous ground cover, the medium textured oval shaped, metallic glossy-green leaves of plumbago are borne upon trailing, zig-zag, wiry stems. Rich and classy looking, plumbago is far more than just a foliage plant. It is a good well mannered soil binder, spreading at a moderate pace by rhizomes, and it is a magnificent late season bloomer. During late summer, it bears a good quantity of rich deep blue flowers which rebloom continually until the first hard frost in october. Plumbago is a bit slow to leaf out in the spring, and this makes it the perfect companion to spring blooming bulbs. The bulbs come up, flower, grace the landscape with their springtime beauty, then just as they are about to die back, the plumbago shoots up and looks terrific.
Details
Hardiness Zone:
Blossom Color:
Blue to Blue Gray
Growth Habit:
Creeping
Max Height:
10"
Texture:
Recommended Spacing:
We sell this plant in these containers:
Special Characteristics
Features
Slow spreading ground cover with metallic glossy-green foliage (bronze in fall) topped late summer and fall with plentiful rich deep blue flowers that rebloom continually until frost.
Landscape Value
Moderate to large scale ground cover, excellent in combination with spring blooming flower bulbs.
Care
Watering:
Dwarf Plumbago requires a fair amount of supplemental watering and often requires watering on a regular basis during the growing season.
Fertilizing:
Dwarf Plumbago benefits from regular feeding and likely will grow best with: a spring (May) application of slow release fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio (such as a 15-5-10) at a rate of about 10 pounds per 1000 square feet, and a summer (July) application of slow release fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio (such as a 15-5-10) at a rate of about 10 pound per 1000 square feet, and and an early fall (September) application of a 2-1-2 ratio (such as a 10-5-10) at a rate of 15 pounds per 1000 square feet to encourage root development and cold hardiness.
Pruning:
Dwarf Plumbago is a deciduous plant (nonevergreen) and does not require pruning. It is perfectly acceptable to allow the dropped leaves to decompose and nourish the soil.