Plumbago auriculataCape Leadwort

Sky blue is a scarce colour in hot-climate planting, and Plumbago auriculata supplies it for most of the year. It is a loose scrambling evergreen shrub from the Cape, carrying flat clusters of pale blue phlox-like flowers on soft new growth almost continuously in warm conditions.

It takes clipping, tolerates alkaline soil and reflected heat, and flowers on very little water, which is why it is one of the most planted shrubs in Gulf amenity landscapes.

Specifications

• Height1 to 2 metres, or to 3 metres trained against a support
• Width1 to 3 metres
• Native toSouth Africa, in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal
• FoliageOblong, pale green leaves on soft arching stems; evergreen in frost-free conditions
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilTolerates poor, sandy and alkaline soils, provided drainage is free
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in Mediterranean, subtropical and hot arid regions

Additional Features

• FlowersFlat clusters of pale sky-blue flowers, near-continuous through the warm season
• UsesMass shrub beds, informal hedging, bank cover, roundabouts and boundary planting
• SpacingPlant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a continuous mass
• Low MaintenanceCut back hard after the main flush to keep the plant dense and flowering
• Pest ResistanceGenerally untroubled
• Drought ToleranceFlowers freely on minimal irrigation once established
• Wildlife AttractionNectar draws butterflies through the flowering season
• VersatilityGrown as a free shrub, a clipped hedge, a bank cover or trained on a wall

Cape Leadwort is the blue in a hot, dry palette, and it works harder for less water than almost any other flowering shrub.