#ceratostigma

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides / Hardy Blue Leadwort at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

Jill Raggett

Some seriously bold blooms, drenched in colour on this stunning autumnal day /ceratostigma: derived from Greek meaning ‘horned stigma’ / #floralodyssey #ceratostigmaplumbaginoides #ceratostigma #blueflowers #octoberflowers #octobergarden #rhs #exmoorgarden #grapes #teaclipperrose #octoberroses #gardensillustrated #hareandhounds #plumbago #leadwort #ceratostigmawillmottianum https://www.instagram.com/p/BowMUAAAnvk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1iiy3u1d1wlpw

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Dwarf Plumbago, is a low growing groundcover perennial with oval fresh green leaves that turn a striking bronze-red in fall, and these sweet little gentian blue flowers appear mid-summer to mid-fall. . . . #ceratostigma #ceratostigmaplumbaginoides #dwarfplumbago #plumbago #plumbagoflowers #blueflowers #gentianblue #perennials #perennial #perennialgarden #perennialgardening #perennialflowers #groundcover #groundcoverplants (at The Highlands) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDubyjBjNW/?utm_medium=tumblr

from Flickr https://flic.kr/p/2kyDmMC via IFTTT

from Flickr https://flic.kr/p/2kxKiHL via IFTTT

Not feeling at all blue, but I’m always feeling the love for Ceratostigma (Hardy Plumbago). My favourite is C. plumbagonoides, but this is C. willmotianum ‘Desert Skies’. As a young plant it can be a little too yellow leaved for my liking, but as it ages it is a beauty. Subsequently, it is today’s #oneadayplant . Of all the varieties of Ceratostigma that I know, this is by far the most golden-yellow leaved form. When the plant grows out and gets a bit of height, the yellow calms down to a handsome limey-green (as you can see in my pic). The blue is vibrant, pure and light (I haven’t been in enough deserts to know if it is a colour match, but seems legit). . Ceratostigma are late summer/autumn flowering sub-shrubs. Semi-woody stems, all forming fairly small, loose dome shapes. Most, including this variety, get to around 60-75cm (2’ -2’6”) tall and wider typically. They all want the sun and well-drained soil. . As I said, I am drawn to the species C. plumbaginoides over all others as it has stunning red autumn leaf colour to contrast the flowers. This form will produce some reddened leaves, but yellows and oranges are more common. All Ceratostigma are coarse to the touch. Hairy leaves and stems prevent them from being slug food, which is good and explains the coarseness. . Really well worth growing and should be more common. Be aware that they generally look awful in nurseries for sale as they don’t tend to sit neatly in a pot. Don’t be disheartened. Get them home and in the ground. You won’t regret it. For the first couple of years expect them to die back to nothing or almost nothing. After that they will start to form a network of permanent stems. . #ceratostigma #ceratostigmawillmottianum #ceratostigmawillmottianumdesertskies #desert #skies #sky #blue #flowered #yellow #leaved #subshrub #plant #iplantsman #plantingdesign #garden #gardens #gardening #gardenista #plantista #gardenguru #plumbago #hardyplumbago #gardeningadvice #gardeningtips #trysomethingnew #variegatedplants #fleurs #blummen #fiori (at Crowborough, East Sussex) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGHe9ZAAH44/?igshid=ihg2o2nneeq0