Plumbago Capensis Eng: Cape Leadwort Sp: Celestina, Jazmin del Cielo It seems that there are only a handful of plants that endure our dry, hot summers and still produce blooms. Plenty of water and dead-heading and our osteospernums are still flowering, as are dianthus, solanum rantonnetii, gazanias, cannas and oleander. I’ve usually wilted after ten minutes in over 40 degrees but these plants seem to struggle on through. A great summer performer is the plumbago and one of my favourite Mediterranean plants. Its sky blue colour always reminds me of Greece and it looks fabulous scrambling through the dark green leaves and deep orange/red blooms of a campsis. There is also a white variety which is less common and certainly a lot less popular.

Plumbago is a shrub that can be trained to scramble through other plants, and I think this is when it looks at its best, but can also be confined to use as hedging on its own or with other plants.

The name comes from the Latin for lead – Plumbum! It was believed to be a weed by the Romans as a cure for lead poisoning. A native of South Africa, it survives our cold winters although loses its flowers and most of its leaves when the chill sets in. From Spring to Autumn it rapidly makes up for its dull winter appearance and quite happily will take full sun producing lots of clusters of phlox-like flowers. It reaches a height of 5 metres and 3 metres across and does best with regular watering.

Earlier I mentioned a climber called ‘campsis’. For those of you that are regular visitors to the Chinese Restaurant in Rute – you may have noticed this climber growing over the wall of the house opposite and flowering in profusion all summer long. The flowers are a rich orange colour. It takes full sun and will survive temperatures down to minus 8 degrees. Along with plumbago this would make a fantastic summer flowering combination.

Amanda

Del Campo Plants