Ceratostigma Plumbaginoides (Hardy Plumbago) ground cover, is a spreading, deciduous shrub with slender, bristly mid-green stems and green leaves with purple margins, which become bright red in Autumn. This is the dwarf variety of the Ceratostigma Wilmottianum, from late Summer to Autumn it bears masses of striking disc-shaped, vivid cobalt-blue flowers.
The beauty of Ceratostigma Plumbaginoides is the changing colours it delivers, giving a long season of interest when some other plants are past their best, starting with the unusual red stems, followed by the freshness of the neat green leaves which gradually take on warmer reddish tones before bursting into clusters of bright blue, almost violet, five petalled flowers from August to September. Plant towards the front of a sheltered, sunny border – perfect for fronting larger shrubs as part of a mixed planting scheme
Ceratostigma Plumbaginoides (Hardy Plumbago) will happily thrive in chalk, clay, sandy or loam soils so long as they are well drained. Cut back any shoots that are frost damaged and dead flowers in spring to allow for new growth. Once established it develops tolerance to drought.
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Soil and site: Well-drained / light / sandy – almost any soil except waterlogged
Flowering time: Mid-late Summer to late Autumn
Growth rate: Moderate
Ultimate height and spread: Height 20cm to 30cm, spread 30cm to 60cm
Hardiness: Fully hardy once established
Aftercare: In early or mid-Spring cut back the flowered shoots to within 2.5cm of the old growth. After pruning apply a generous mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure around the base of the plant.
