Ceratostigma willmottianum Forest Blue ('Lice') (PBR)
Chinese plumbago
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- Standard £5.95
This shrub is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, light, moist but well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: fast
- Flowering period: August to October
- Hardiness: fully hardy
This spreading, deciduous shrub brings welcome colour to the garden in late summer and early autumn when many other flowers have gone over. Masses of disc-shaped, vivid cobalt-blue flowers appear from August to October, and in autumn, the leaves turn a rich russet-red. It's best towards the front of a sheltered, sunny border in soil that does not get too dry.
When planting, mix some well-rotted garden compost into the excavated soil of the planting hole and dust the plant’s rootball with mycorrhizal fungi. Water in well and keep well watered during warm, dry periods. In early or mid-spring cut back the flowered shoots to within 2.5cm (1in) of the old growth. After pruning apply a generous 5-7cm mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure around the base of the plant.