Plumbago auriculata
Cape leadwort
Common names: Blue leadwort, Plumbago
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 30 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jun–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 0 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: ErgoSum88 · Public Domain · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Plumbago auriculata comes from the coastal scrub of South Africa and is a popular container plant for terraces and balconies. This evergreen shrub grows sprawling and arching, reaching 1 to 2 m in height when grown in a container. Its flexible shoots need support from a trellis, espalier, or stakes, where they form a dense bush or a standard (tree-form). From June to October, it bears clusters of delicate sky-blue flowers at the shoot tips, resembling phlox. The calyces are covered with sticky glandular hairs that can be felt when touched. Besides the blue form, a white-flowering form also exists. In temperate climates this plant is not frost hardy. It is moved to a bright, cool winter quarters in autumn and resumes growth in May.
Care instructions
Place Cape leadwort outdoors from mid-May (after the Ice Saints, from calendar week 20) in a sunny, warm, and wind-sheltered spot. In a container, use a large, stable pot with a drainage hole and a structurally stable container plant potting mix. Water regularly in summer, daily on hot days, but never so much that water stands in the saucer. From April to August, fertilize about once a week. From late August onward, stop fertilizing so the shoots can ripen. Tie long shoots to a trellis or stakes, otherwise they may snap. Spring pruning is important: it promotes compact growth and abundant flowering. Bring the plant indoors before the first frost and check regularly for aphids and spider mites in winter quarters.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJun–Oct
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich
Cape leadwort grows best in good-quality, humus-rich potting compost for container plants that is free-draining and holds its structure. If needed, mix in some lava granules or coarse sand so that excess water drains away well. The pH is ideal in the slightly acidic to neutral range. Waterlogging harms the roots, so a pot with drainage holes and a drainage layer of expanded clay is a must. Every two to three years, repot into fresh compost in spring.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Apr–Aug
Cape leadwort grows quickly and flowers for months, so in a container it needs nutrients regularly. From April to August, give it a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants about every week, and in spring also some mature compost or horn shavings on the soil. Water well before feeding so that the roots do not come to harm. From the end of August, stop so that the shoots can ripen before winter.
Pruning
Cape leadwort flowers on the current year's shoots, so cut it back hard in February or March, before it comes out of its winter quarters: shorten all shoots by half to two thirds, thin out dense areas and remove frozen or diseased parts. In spring, pinch out the tips of the young shoots; the shrub then branches and flowers more abundantly. Before bringing it in in autumn, you may shorten shoots that are too long by a third, so that it needs less space in its winter quarters.
Overwintering
Cape leadwort does not tolerate frost. Bring it in in October, at the latest before the first frost. It overwinters best in a bright spot at 5 to 10 degrees, such as a conservatory or a bright, unheated stairwell. In a dark spot it drops its leaves, but it usually regrows in spring. Water sparingly, the root ball should just not dry out completely, and do not fertilise. Check regularly for aphids, spider mites and whiteflies, and spray affected plants down with water. From mid-May it may go back outdoors.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
The surest way to propagate Cape leadwort is from tip cuttings. From May to August, cut 8 to 10 cm long, still unlignified shoot tips without flower buds, remove the lower leaves and insert them into a mix of seed compost and sand. With a clear cover over them, the air stays humid. Place the pot somewhere bright and warm at 20 to 25 degrees, out of direct midday sun. After three to five weeks the cuttings have rooted. Pinch out the tips early so that the young plants branch. Special forms such as the white-flowering one only come true from cuttings.
For your garden
Grow Cape leadwort yourself
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