The Easy-To-Grow Ground Cover That'll Fill Your Yard With Stunning Sky-Blue Blooms

If you're looking for a long-blooming, versatile perennial with gorgeous, clustered blue flowers, it's hard to go wrong with Plumbago auriculata. Also known as cape leadwort or cape plumbago, this species is most commonly grown in the United States, though many types exist. This fragrant plant is a great choice for attracting butterflies and other pollinators. Plumbago is easy to grow and will reach a height 6 to 7 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide.

The fast-growing plumbago is among the gorgeous ground covers that'll thrive in sun or shade, though it prefers full sun. Hardy in USDA Hardiness zones 8 through 11, it can also function as a shrub and shows off its versatility when trained as a vine on a trellis. You can grow it in a container, too. Plumbago can easily be cut back to control its spread. You should also remove frost damage during the spring season. Prune the plant to keep it in a mound shape, and overwinter it indoors when dormant.

Plant plumbago in the fall or spring in nutritionally fertile and well-drained soil. Plumbago needs regular watering but can be drought-tolerant after it is established. Be wary of high-alkaline soil, which can rob plumbago of minerals and turn its leaves yellow. The plant benefits from a couple of applications of fertilizer or compost during the growing season. 

You'll need to be patient with plumbago blooms; they don't appear until the second year after planting if grown from seed. Blooms look similar to phlox and are often confused with that genus. Pests that frequently visit plumbago include chilli thrips, cotton cushion scale, and mites. The best way to care for beautiful plumbago in the winter depends on your hardiness zone, as plumbagos in colder zones will need to be placed in containers and moved to a protected area or brought inside.

A bit of caution is required with plumbago, as it is somewhat toxic. Contact with any part of the plant can cause skin irritation and even blistering, so you'll likely want to wear garden gloves when working with it. The same substance that causes the toxicity makes the flowers sticky to the degree that they may cling to the clothing of someone walking close by. Be sure you're aware of these quirks so you can avoid mistakes when growing plumbago as a ground cover.