In late summer, blue beauties Ceratostigma, from the family Plumbaginaceae, bloom in gardens and parks.
Today, the exquisite blue flower Ceratostigma is quite capable of creating an atmosphere of friendship and romance in a country house . It seems that their pure and delicate flowers reflect the clear blue sky of the fine days of the outgoing summer.
This is a rhizomatous prostrate perennial up to 45 cm (1.5 ft) high and 30 cm (1 ft) wide, its reddish shoots die off in winter.
The leaves are obovate, bright green, with wavy edges, up to 9 cm (3.5 in). In late summer-mid-winter, bright blue flowers with a diameter of up to 2 cm (0.8 in), collected at the end of a spike-shaped inflorescence, bloom. The plant is native to Western China.
Ceratostigma is especially appreciated for its late “cold” blue bloom. It is good as a groundcover plant. In addition, it can be used in low flower borders: in the south — perennial, in other regions — annual.
This year, I may even have noticed a ceratostigma that did not spread out like in our garden, but looked beautiful, lush bushes ranging in height from 70 cm to 1 m (2.3-3.3 ft). From colleagues, it turned out that the unusual seeds of ceratostigma were ordered as usual. Today, when this blue beauty bloomed, it is Ceratostigma willmottiana, which is also native to Eastern China and Tibet.
Interestingly, in Tibet, the ceratostigma villottiana is a symbol of wisdom. It is a beautiful deciduous shrub up to 1 m (3.3 ft) high and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) wide. The shoots are thin, reddish. The leaves are simple, turn red in autumn. The flowers, as in the previous species, are blue, up to 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, collected in dense small prickly inflorescences; they bloom from August to October. This species is good in single crops.
Ceratostigmas grow well in open sunny places, but put up with penumbra, where their flowering, however, is less abundant. They are undemanding to soils. In hot, dry summers, moderate watering is necessary. Resistant to pests and diseases. It is propagated by dividing rootstocks and cuttings.
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