Plumbago
Plumbago auriculata
Plumbago is a sprawling evergreen shrub covered for months in clusters of soft sky-blue, phlox-like flowers. It thrives in heat and is a favorite of butterflies.
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate; drought-tolerant once established
- Difficulty
- Easy
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Overview
Cape plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) is a vigorous, sprawling evergreen shrub from South Africa, treasured for its long season of pale sky-blue flowers—an uncommon and soothing color in the garden. White-flowered forms also exist.
Its loose, semi-climbing branches can mound as a shrub, scramble over walls and fences, or trail from containers, blooming abundantly through the warm months. The phlox-like flower clusters are a magnet for butterflies.
Heat- and drought-tolerant once established, plumbago is a low-care staple of warm-climate gardens, used as an informal hedge, bank cover, or container plant.
How to identify it
A sprawling, mounding, semi-climbing evergreen shrub.
- Flowers: rounded clusters of 5-petaled, phlox-like, pale sky-blue (or white) flowers over a long season
- Calyx: flower bases are covered in sticky glandular hairs that cling to clothing and fur (aiding seed dispersal)
- Leaves: small, oblong, light green, soft
- Habit: loose and arching, 4–10 ft, scrambling if supported
- Bloom time: late spring through fall, year-round in frost-free climates
Care & growing
Easy and free-flowering in warmth.
- Light: full sun for best bloom; tolerates part shade with fewer flowers
- Water: moderate; drought-tolerant once established
- Soil: adaptable, well-drained soil
- Temperature: hardy in USDA zones 9–11; root-hardy and may resprout in zone 8 after dieback
- Feeding: light feeding in spring supports continuous bloom
- Pruning: prune in late winter to control size and shape; it blooms on new growth
- Propagation: softwood cuttings or division of suckers
Habitat & origin
Plumbago auriculata is native to South Africa, where it grows in scrub and bushveld in warm, sunny conditions.
Widely planted in subtropical and Mediterranean climates worldwide, it is used as a flowering hedge, groundcover for banks, and container plant. In frost-prone areas it is grown as a tender perennial or overwintered indoors.
Frequently asked questions
Is plumbago a climber or a shrub?
It's a sprawling shrub with long, arching, semi-climbing stems. With support it will scramble like a vine; left alone it mounds and trails.
Why are plumbago flowers so sticky?
The flower bases have glandular hairs that secrete a sticky substance, helping seeds cling to passing animals and clothing for dispersal.
Is plumbago cold hardy?
It's reliably hardy in zones 9–11. In zone 8 it may die back in winter and resprout, and elsewhere it's grown as a tender container plant.
How do I get more flowers on plumbago?
Give it full sun, well-drained soil, and a light spring feeding. It blooms on new wood, so prune in late winter to encourage fresh flowering growth.
Plumbago guides
In-depth guides for identifying, growing, and caring for Plumbago.
