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About this plant
What makes this plant special
This shrub brings intense gentian blue to the garden in late summer and autumn, when few other shrubs are still in flower. It asks little in return: full sun and free-draining, even poor, dry or chalky soil, with hardly any watering once established. Provided the soil does not stay wet in winter, it withstands short frosts to about -14 °C.
Leadwort Ceratostigma
Hardy plumbagos (Ceratostigma) are a small group of perennials and low, spreading shrubs, mostly from the Himalaya and East Asia. They are loved for their star-shaped flowers of an intense, electric blue, which appear from midsummer into autumn, often against foliage that turns red or orange as the season ends.
Ceratostigma willmottianum
Chinese plumbago (Ceratostigma willmottianum) is a deciduous shrub from western China and Tibet with a loose, spreading habit, about 1 m tall and somewhat wider. Its small, hairy, diamond-shaped leaves turn red in autumn, just as the vivid blue flowers, open from July until the frosts, are at their peak.
Location and soil
Give it full sun, warmth and a well-drained, neutral to chalky soil; once established it copes with fairly dry summers. Its hardiness depends on winter wetness: in free-draining ground it takes frosts of around -15 °C, while in the coldest or wettest spots it may die back and regrow from the base.
Pruning and care
Prune once a year in April or May, when new shoots appear, shortening the branches by about a third so the shrub stays compact and does not sprawl with age. Leaves appear late in spring. Water during long dry periods, especially in the first season; disease resistance is very good.
Use in the garden
An easy, water-wise shrub for late-season borders, beside a path or in front of taller shrubs. The blue flowers look striking next to yellow perennials, white or mauve asters, shrubby salvias and low pink roses; in cold areas it can also be grown in a pot against a sunny wall.
Plant characteristics
Botanical
| Family | Plumbaginaceae |
| Genus | Ceratostigma |
| Species | willmottianum |
Flowering
| Flowering period | august to october |
| Colour (flower) | blue |
Foliage
| Evergreen | no |
| Colour (foliage) | green |
Growth habit
| Height | 100 cm |
Location
| Winter hardiness | -15 °C |
| Soil type | kalkrijk |
| Location | sun |
| Soil moisture | dry, normal |
Use
| Type (use) | shrub, ground cover, in group |
Care
| Pruning | april to may |