Yes, Plumbago auriculata is worth singing about! This beautiful, indigenous, evergreen shrub is really a stunning plant with beautiful flowers – complete and perfect.
It is a fast-growing shrub, mostly for sunny positions. It will tolerate a little bit of shade, but then will flower less and it needs well-aerated, fertile soil. They need moderate water in summer, but should be kept fairly dry in winter. Plumbago should be enriched with compost once a year, and should be mulched well. This plant is fairly pest and disease resistance, and therefore caring for Plumbago is pretty basic – every gardener’s dream!
Plumbago plants are very versatile. They appear as sprawling shrubs and will naturally scramble up nearby trees. It is a great plant for screening, and can be used as a groundcover, be pruned into a low-growing hedge for a formal garden, be trained up a trellis to form a vertical feature, or can be cut to form a topiary ball. The beauty of the Plumbago plant is that they respond well to pruning and will even flower more profusely because of it.
Beautiful enough to sing about – for sure!
The leaves are a delicate pale green, but glossy. The flowers are five-petalled, phlox-like, are borne in clusters and produced in large masses. Their colours are a soft blue or white, and are borne on new growth. Plumbago flowers from early spring to early autumn, and attract bees and butterflies to your garden. Sunbirds also love these nectar-rich flowers. The fruit of the Plumbago has sticky barbs to attach to animals who aid in seed dispersal – their stickiness can also be used to entertain children, so be sure to remember and show your kids and grandkids how to make flower earrings with this very sticky seed! Simply, stick them to their earlobes.
In addition, Plumbago, if used correctly, can be used to treat broken bones, wounds and treat warts. In days gone by, it was also used as a snuff to alleviate headaches and some believed it could dispel bad dreams.
Whatever you believe, Plumbago auriculata is a beautiful flower for any occasion.
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