Plants
Hardy blue-flowered Leadwort / Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
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Area of origin: China
Adult dimensions: Height up to 30cm, width up to 40cm
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil type: Any type, well-drained
Hardiness: Hardy to -20°C
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Density of plantation: 5 plants/m²
Properties and uses:
The sub-shrub Hardy blue-flowered Leadwort is often considered a perennial. This is a ground-covering, mat-forming plant with melliferous, bright blue flowers that bloom from August to the first frost. The deciduous foliage is green in summer, then turns coppery red when winter comes. Its intense blue flowering associated with its red foliage provides a unique, sought after autumn visual interest.
It develops slowly through a system of thin rhizomatous roots, and forms a thick carpet of foliage, even in dry and stony soil. It is the ideal plant to cover slopes, rockeries, flowerbeds or borders and it helps limiting the weeding. It is also a good choice for low-maintenance garden, as it is drought resistant once established and only needs a simple pruning of the dry parts at the end of winter.
