Chinese Plumbago, Chinese Leadwort
Ceratostigma willmottianum
Family: Plumbaginaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Blue. Main Bloom Time: Early fall, Late summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal.
Ceratostigma willmottianum is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in flower from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Warm valleys at forest edges or in thickets; 700--3500 m. Gansu (Wen Xian), W Guizhou, S and W Sichuan, SE Xizang, E and N Yunnan.
E. Asia - W. China to Tibet.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Distrust of self', 'Doubt of one's ability' and 'Foolishness'.
Bach: Plants used in the Bach flower remedies.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Foundation. Prefers a light moderately fertile and retentive soil with good drainage, though it tolerates poor dry soils and grows well on chalk. Requires a sunny position. Plants are not fully hardy in Britain, especially if treated as shrubs, but if treated as herbaceous perennials they succeed outdoors in areas where winter temperatures do not fall below about -10 to -15°c. When the woody stems survive the winter it is best to prune them hard in the spring in order to obtain better flowering. Plants flower best on the current years growth. Most, if not all the plants in cultivation in Britain, derive from an original two plants raised from seed in 1908. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. Special Features: Blooms are very showy.
Propagating it: Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in the spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of rooted suckers in the spring. Layering in the spring. Plants often self-layer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a closed frame. Plants should be overwintered in a frost-free frame or greenhouse for their first winter.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 6-9
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist