Plumbago is a scrambling shrub with clusters of sky-blue flowers while the leaves are light yellowish green. It blooms all year long. The name Plumbago is derived from Latin plumbum (lead), perhaps from the colour of the flowers.
The sky blue flowers are long tubes spreading into 5 petals.
The flower calyx secrete a sticky substance on to its fine hairs that is used for of trapping insects.
Plumbago can be pruned into a compact shrub or trained to grow like a vine and sprawl over supports with its
long gracefully arching branches.
Tasha receiving solar energy next to a pot of Plumbago auriculata.
The gathering of ants over an interesting 'drinking' spot. I wonder what is the cause of this phenomena on this particular flower. Some ants were seen to crawl away with engorged abdomens.
Tasha receiving solar energy next to a pot of Plumbago auriculata.
A simple arrangement of yellow Allamandas and Plumbago auriculata.
Plumbago has got to be one of my favourite flowers - I just love its colour and its simple flattering form - pretty post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosemary and I was simply fascinated by your post about the mayflies.
DeleteLike this flower..beautiful... what is the Malay name ? I did post photo of butterflies in my previous entry.. need you to identify their gender .. tqvm
ReplyDeleteHi Suka-suka. Its ceraka biru in Malay.
DeleteThat photo of the pair of butterflies is stunning. I've answered on your post itself. Just too bad that you didn't take a photo of their uppersides which would have determined the gender.
This is one of my favorite plants in the garden. It is cheery and delicate.
ReplyDeleteGreat of you to drop by. We have at least this in common. It adds lovely touches of blues to the garden which would otherwise be dominated by the more common reds and yellows.
DeleteUwielbiam kwiatki w niebieskim kolorze, a te są śliczne. Piesek wie co podziwiać. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteI love the flowers in a blue suit, and these are beautiful. The dog knows what to admire. Yours.
Yesh, nice shade of blue. The doggie was actually sniffing it but having found it odourless, she turned her head away.
DeleteThat's beautiful photos on Plumbago! I had in garden long time ago but it's no more.....mystery.....hahhaa.....Tasha look so cute!
ReplyDeletePlumbago are actually tough plants. They should be hard pruned and followed by liberal amounts of organic fertilizer. You can always try planting it again. Its worth the effort.
DeleteTasha has a golden coat that looks lovely under the sunshine.
I love it too, have long wanted to plant it, however the mother plant near the office was gone and havent yet done so. I guess something sweet is in that droplet where the ants get some nourishment! Maybe you put a drop of coffee there, haha! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteYou are always so "sceptical" - for want of a better word. Coffee would be bitter, why don't we just pretend that it was a chocolate drop.
DeleteYou are so right about the sticky substance on the flower calyx. I thought it was the Velcro kind of material from the plant itself.
ReplyDeleteI kept the flower in a flower arrangement until it dried up but the blue still remained.
Thinking whether it would do beautifully as pressed flowers.
Have a nice day!
I think the adhesion is more of the gluey type from the secretions rather than from some mechanical means.
DeleteAs for pressed flowers, I've not tried it out but Bougainvillea flowers are very suitable.
Hello Stiletto!:) The Plumbago has to be one of my all time favourite plants. I have three on my balcony which have been trained as vines and they are several metros high. Two are blue but the other is white. The flowers last such a long time and the pretty blue colour looks stunning against the green foliage. I always get flowers petals stuck to my hair when I'm pruning it or watering other plants nearby.:)
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a very good year.
The flowers here don't last as long here because of the tropical heat but there others to take its place all the time. I have those pesky sticky bits on my hair too. May 2014 brings to you plenty of good tidings!
DeleteI like any sky blue flowers. They are especially refreshing to look at when weather is muggy. I have plumbago in pots, and I hadn't known such big shrubs like yours till now. It blooms from May to October when weather is warm.
ReplyDeleteAll the best wishes to you in 2014.
Yoko
Similarly like you I love blue flowers in any hues and shades. Over here in Malaysia, the flowers are seen year round. However the heavy rainfalls often spoil its looks.
DeleteWow! You beat me on this Elsie. Just got myself a pot and was thinking of posting it.
ReplyDeleteI love this flower for its color really. So sweet. It would take ages for mine to grow like yours :)
Hi Ash, great to hear from you again. I'm sure a post from you would be interesting as different bloggers would have different and diverse perspectives. Hope to see your post soon.
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