Plumbago Blues

The shelves at the garden centers are bare, with the exception of a few wilted cherry tomatoes and some tenacious herbs that are refusing to give in to the summer heat.  The gardening on the Back Forty has come to a stand still with the exception of the weeds that are growing under any weather condition.

Then there is the bright blue Plumbago that is braving the hot Florida sun and is just beginning to bloom depending on its location.  I have one Plumbago that is blooming profusely at the end of the garden near the scenic creek.  Others are more sheltered from the sun and are leaning and climbing up a wall on the shed.  I am waiting for those plants to break out in a profusion of blue blooms.

The Plumbagos fit in very nicely in the landscape on the Back Forty because they are so informal.

Left without discipline these evergreen plants will grow up to three or four feet high and just as wide.  They grow in cascades or ramble on and enjoy themselves.  I enjoy them, too.  

The Plumbagos are so forgiving.  They will recover without much ado if I should run over some of their branches with the lawn mower.  They will forgive me and recover if I should trim them too severely.  They are disease resistant and they do well during dry spells.

Dry spell?  Yesterday, we had over 2 inches of rain.  The Plumbago may enjoy a bath once in a while.  You be the judge and tell from this morning's picture.  The rain is still coming down and it is going to stay with us for a while according to the weathermen.

I like this plant because it's evergreen and it survives the winters in Florida.  It can weather a frost but I am not sure that it will recover from a prolonged freeze.  The Plumbagos come in many different hues of blue but I opted to go with only one color.  Bees and butterflies seem to enjoy the Plumbagos, too.  Another reason for liking the Plumbagos is that they do chase away the summer blues.