Plumbago auriculata

A vibrant, easy-to-grow climber valued for its long- lasting blue flowers and adaptability to a variety of conditions. Its colour and reliability make it a staple in Mediterranean gardens.

Plumbago auriculata is one of the longest-flowering Mediterranean garden plants, producing clusters of clear sky-blue tubular flowers (also white in the 'Alba' form) almost continuously from late spring through autumn — typically May through November, with heaviest flowering in summer when the cool blue is most welcome. The mid-green semi-evergreen leaves persist in mild winters. Hardy to -5°C with the plant regrowing from the base after frost, plumbago tolerates drought, salt spray, alkaline soils, urban pollution and reflected heat from walls; it is among the most reliable summer-flowering shrubs for the hottest Mediterranean conditions.

Plumbago grows as a sprawling shrub 1–2 m tall and 1.5–3 m wide, or can be trained as a wall-climber up to 4 m by tying it to wires. Use against warm sunlit walls where the clear sky-blue flowers will contrast with white-washed plaster; cascading from raised planters and retaining walls; in informal mixed borders with the magenta of Bougainvillea, the yellow of Bulbine frutescens and Lantana camara, and the silver-grey of Lavandula and Salvia rosmarinus; as a long-flowering ground cover on sunny slopes. Cut back hard in late winter to control size and rejuvenate; light pruning through summer encourages continuous flowering.