Ceratostigma willmottianum

Chinese Plumbago is a deciduous, flowering, herbaceous perennial shrub, with arching red stems and pale blue flowers, maturing at a bit over 3 feet high by 3 feet wide after about five years. It is a native of China and often found in warm valleys at forest edges or in thickets.  It is typically an ornamental plant with the leaves turning a stunning red in the fall providing interest in the landscape. It spreads by means of rhizomes rooting at nodes just below ground. The genus name is derived from the Greek, meaning 'horned stigma’, in reference to the ‘shape of the stigmatic surface’. The species is named for Ellen Ann Willmott (1858-1934), a British gardener and plant introducer.

Chinese Plumbago does well in sandy and loamy soils and prefers well-drained, dry or moist soil. It does tolerate nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers full sun or partial shade, but it cannot grow in full shade. The shrub can be pruned and the woody stems that survive the winter can be pruned hard in the spring to obtain better flowering. The plants flower best on the current years growth. The plant is deer resistant.

Diseases, insect pests, and other plant problems:  During times of extreme heat, regular watering is crucial.  

No serious diseases or insect pests.