Ceratostigma willmottianum FOREST BLUE

Ceratostigma willmottianum FOREST BLUE ('Lice') is undoubtedly the most floriferous variety of all. In late summer to early autumn, it is adorned with a multitude of star-shaped flowers in an unprecedented cobalt blue. Its lovely dome-shaped habit makes it ideal as a ground cover and it works wonders in flowerpots and containers on a terrace. Place it in a warm and sheltered location.

Ceratostigma willmottianum, sometimes called Leadwort or Willmott's Plumbago, belongs to the Plumbaginaceae family. It is a deciduous shrub native to western China that appreciates sun, heat, and soils with a tendency towards limestone. It is hardy to around -12° C (10.4° F) in well-drained soil.

The cultivar 'Forest Blue' was recently selected in England for its cold resistance (about -14° C (6.8° F)), its more compact habit, and its abundant flowering. All these qualities have earned it recognition from the Royal Horticultural Society. It is a small shrub with a flexible habit, compact growth, and a slightly spreading and well-branched shape, reaching about 60 cm (23.6 in) in height and a little more in width. The foliage is deciduous, falling in late autumn and reappearing quite late in spring. The small leaves have an oval shape that approaches that of a diamond and are covered with hairs on the upper and lower surface. Their colour changes from medium green in spring and summer to red from September onwards. From July until the first frost, it produces a myriad of tubular flowers with 5 petals, in a particularly bright blue. In autumn, the reddish-purple foliage creates a beautiful contrast with the blue flowers. 

'Forest Blue' is an excellent plant for sunny gardens or terraces. It will thrive in most regions, except the coldest and driest ones in summer. Growing it in pots allows you to protect it in a cold greenhouse for winter if necessary, but also to plant it with many summer-flowering annuals to easily create a very colourful display on a balcony or terrace. In the garden, for example, plant it with yellow flowers (Coreopsis 'Sunray', goldenrods, Helenium) or with the purple and pink stars of asters. Pink ground cover roses with slightly blurry shapes like The Fairy, Mareva or Emera will also enhance it, along a path or in front of taller shrubs.