Ceratostigma willmottianum (also called Hardy Plumbago)
Ceratostigma
willmottianum
Short, bushy, deciduous shrub grown for blue flowers in late summer and autumn. Attractive autumn foliage. Very attractive to butterflies.
Late summer and autumn.
Habit - low growing, slightly straggly. H: 1m S: 1.5m
Stems - slender, straight. Young growth is tinged with dark red, older growth is dark brown.
Leaves - ovate with no petiole. Mid-green with red veins and red leaf edges. Leaves turn red in autumn.
Flowers - panicles of clear blue tubular flowers, opening to five petals.
Full sun.
Moist, well-drained, light.
Fully hardy.
Cut flowered shoots back to within 2.5cm of old growth in early spring, then apply a thick mulch of compost or manure around the base of the plant.
Division of rooted suckers in the spring.
Layering in the spring, though plants will self-layer.
Take cuttings in late spring and early summer. Over-winter cuttings in a frost-free frame or greenhouse for their first winter.
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