Dwarf Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides): Blue-Flowered Ground Cover

Quick Facts

• Deciduous perennial ground cover
• Zones 2–10, 14–24, 29–41
• Full sun or partial shade
• Moderate water

Vivid blue flowers bloom from midsummer to midautumn, carried at the ends of wiry 6- to 12-inch stems. Bronzy green, 3-inch-long leaves turn reddish brown in fall. Dwarf plumbago spreads by underground stems and grows best where the growing season is long. It tolerates a wide range of soils, from claylike to sandy.

Stems die back after bloom; shear or mow plantings before new growth starts in spring. Space about 1½ feet apart.