Q. Please tell me how I
can save my potted plumbago from our Las Vegas winters.
can save my potted plumbago from our Las Vegas winters.
A. So you have a plumbago.
People like them because of their blue flowers which fade to a bluish white in
our intense direct sunlight. It likes our summer heat if it gets a little
relief from the afternoon sun so Eastern exposure is best or filtered sunlight.
People like them because of their blue flowers which fade to a bluish white in
our intense direct sunlight. It likes our summer heat if it gets a little
relief from the afternoon sun so Eastern exposure is best or filtered sunlight.
There are a couple of different kinds of plumbago so I’m
guessing yours is sometimes called Cape plumbago. It hails from South Africa hence
its name. so it likes the heat, can handle an occasional drought and moderately
poor soils.
guessing yours is sometimes called Cape plumbago. It hails from South Africa hence
its name. so it likes the heat, can handle an occasional drought and moderately
poor soils.
Do you want to see a plumbago?
It does well in our desert heat but does not like our
soils, unless they are amended with compost, or our winter cold. This plant does
well in a Mediterranean type climate which might get light frost. We normally
see it growing in South Florida and along the coast in Texas. It used to be
grown in the warmer parts of Arizona and along the Colorado River until desert
landscaping pushed it out of our landscapes.
soils, unless they are amended with compost, or our winter cold. This plant does
well in a Mediterranean type climate which might get light frost. We normally
see it growing in South Florida and along the coast in Texas. It used to be
grown in the warmer parts of Arizona and along the Colorado River until desert
landscaping pushed it out of our landscapes.
You are worried about losing it to our winter freezing
temperatures. If the plant has been established for at least one growing season
it can freeze to the ground and come back again much like Bougainvillea.
temperatures. If the plant has been established for at least one growing season
it can freeze to the ground and come back again much like Bougainvillea.
You have it growing in a pot so move it into the garage
if the temperatures appear to go below freezing during the night. Other than
that, treat it like any other winter tender, potted plant. If there is a light
freeze, throw a crop cover over the top of it and make sure the cover is all
the way to the ground. During a heavy freeze this won’t be enough protection.
if the temperatures appear to go below freezing during the night. Other than
that, treat it like any other winter tender, potted plant. If there is a light
freeze, throw a crop cover over the top of it and make sure the cover is all
the way to the ground. During a heavy freeze this won’t be enough protection.
Make sure you repot this plant every 3 to 4 years.
Fertilize it every other month with a rose or azalea type fertilizer and iron
chelate applied to the soil and watered in. Make sure the soil drains easily
and keep it slightly on the dry side between waterings.
Fertilize it every other month with a rose or azalea type fertilizer and iron
chelate applied to the soil and watered in. Make sure the soil drains easily
and keep it slightly on the dry side between waterings.