Plumbago or leadwort

Family Plumbaginaceae. Native range - South Africa.

A deciduous ornamental, small, showy-flowering shrub. Shoots flexible, long. Leaves green, ovate-oblong with a blunt tip, glabrous, entire. Flowers are blue, pink, blue or white, in short umbel-like inflorescences. Blooms abundantly and for a long time - from March to September.

Plumbago (leadwort) requires bright illumination with some direct sunlight. Windows with west or east exposure are optimal for cultivation. When grown on south-facing windows, diffuse shading should be provided at midday using semi-transparent fabric or paper (sheer curtains, gauze, tracing paper). Purchased plants and specimens that have been kept in the shade (or after winter) should not be exposed to direct sun immediately; they must be acclimated gradually.

In summer it is beneficial for the plant's wellbeing to take the plant outdoors (balcony, garden). It is desirable to provide shading at midday, or to accustom the plant to bright sun gradually. If you cannot keep the plant outdoors in summer, the room where the plumbago is kept should be ventilated regularly.

In the autumn-winter period the plant is also kept with good lighting; shading is not required. Supplemental lighting with daylight lamps can be provided. If light is insufficient in winter the plant drops some leaves. In spring, as light increases, acclimate the plant to the greater light gradually to avoid burns.

Plumbago (leadwort) prefers a moderate temperature, around 18-22°C, with a regular flow of fresh air. In autumn the temperature is lowered to 15°C to prepare the plant for its dormant period. In winter the plant enters a dormant period - during this time it should be kept at a cool temperature (8-12°C). Provide good lighting and ventilate the room where the plumbago (leadwort) is located regularly. If the plant is kept in warm conditions in winter, it suffers and drops its foliage.

In the spring-summer period water plumbago (leadwort) abundantly after the top layer of the substrate dries out. In the autumn-winter period water moderately, a day or two after the top layer of the substrate has dried. With cool winter conditions water cautiously, as there is a risk of overwatering and rotting of the roots. Water with well-settled water at room temperature.

Air humidity does not play a significant role for plumbago (leadwort) while the air temperature is moderate (18-22°C); with higher temperatures it is desirable to mist the plant.

Feed plumbago (leadwort) once every two weeks with a complete complex of mineral fertilizers. Do not fertilize the plant in winter.

The plant requires shaping. Plumbago (leadwort) can be trained on a support (the plant climbs to a height of 3-4 meters), it can be wound on a trellis or wire. Stems are sturdy and not very flexible, so bend them very carefully, preferably giving a larger radius. Since plumbago (leadwort) has neither tendrils nor thorns and does not twine, the shoots are attached to the support.

Spent shoots should be regularly pinched out. The plant can be given any shape. For forming the crown, prune last year's shoots in spring. Deadheaded flowers and part of the flower stalk (5 cm) are recommended to be removed in early spring.

Young plants are repotted annually; those older than 3 years - once every 2 years. Repot in spring into a mix of sod, peat, leaf mold and humus soil (4:2:1:1) with added sand. Superphosphate is added to the substrate.

Pests and diseases: Main pests - scale insects, spider mites. The plant's leaves turn brown and it stops flowering if the soil dries out.

Propagation by cuttings: Propagate early in spring by cuttings after pruning. They root in 14-15 days at 16 °C in quartz sand, ionite substrate, LTA-2. As they grow and develop perform 1-2 repottings into 9-11 cm pots. Plumbago blooms after 4-5 months.

Propagation by seeds: Sow seeds in trays in leaf soil mixed with sand in a 1:1 ratio. At 20°C seeds germinate on the 10th-12th day. Seedlings are pricked out into 5-cm pots. Repot into 7-8 cm pots. Flowering in young plants grown from seed occurs after 5-b months.

Tip: The plant blooms only on young shoots, so prune old branches every spring.

The plant is undemanding, hardy and can be recommended not only for indoor cultivation but also for various commercial premises - bright and not hot. Especially attractive are young flowering plants hung in macramé as several specimens in an "airy group" in the interior.