There are many great things about Plumbago ‘Royal Cape’, but best of all are the colour and the amazing profusion of blooms. From early summer through to autumn this big, bushy shrub is so smothered with beautiful, light blue flowers that at times it’s hard to spot the attractive green leaves. In addition, it’s one of those easy care, great performing shrubs which pretty well looks after itself and always thrives providing it has a sunny situation and a well drained soil. Once established, it takes summer droughts in its stride, often performing even better than usual in extended dry periods.
The light blue flowers are the sort of colour that you really can’t go wrong with - they make a successful combination with most flowers, foliage and house colours. It’s one of those perfect summer colours, socool and restful.
Because Plumbago ‘Royal Cape’ grows to around two metres, it’s ideal as a background shrub, the perfect partner for lower growing shrubs, perennials and annuals. Some interesting shrubs to grow in front of it are dark blue Dichroa ‘Blue Sapphires’, another all summer bloomer, and pink hebes, hydrangeas which can be white, blue, pink or red, and dramatic silver foliage plants, of which native Astelia ‘Silver Spears’ is one of the best.
The deep green glossy foliage of Magnolia ‘Little Gem’ is a handsome small tree to grow with this blue flowered beauty. In addition to its foliage, this magnolia has big, white, scented flowers in summer. Mind you, if you want a really classy, cool summer look, plant an ‘Iceberg’ rose or two with Plumbago ‘Royal Cape’. Cut off the old flower heads from the ‘Icebergs’ as they finish and new flowers will keep on coming in flushes throughout summer and autumn. Where there’s room, Plumbago ‘Royal Cape’ also looks good with olives and when lavenders are included it’s easy to create a Mediterranean feeling.
Summer flowering perennials make exciting plants for growing with the blue plumbago. The new, blue flowered, cold hardy Geranium ‘Rozanne’ has very large and indisputably beautiful blue flowers which continue through summer and autumn. It has an enchantingly casual habit of growth, sprawling in friendly fashion among its neighbours, which could be daylilies, low growing purply blue salvias, dark blue or wine red petunias, or low growing, bold foliage plants such as sedums, succulents or grasses.
While Plumbago ‘Royal Cape’ is superb for making gardens pretty, it should be remembered that it’s also a great plant for disguising a fence or wall that annoys, or even a tree stump that you don’t want to look at. There’s also fun to be had by combining it with colourful garden furniture - just imagine it as a backdrop to garden bench, the colour of which depends on your imagination!
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Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants