Plumbago, please!

13 years ago

Dag nab it - I hate it when I post something and then can't find it later. I think they get eaten by the "preview post" monster.

Anywho, I purchased a small plumbago yesterday ... I know they're great plants for the shade, but everything (from everywhere else) says to put it in full sun (I know, not OUR full sun).

The question is, have you planted it in higher light conditions? If so, how high?

TIA for any advice!

Featured Answer

xica_da_silva

13 years ago

I've had nothing but bad luck with the plumbago! I've managed to kill 4 of them. However, I've always planted them in pairs so personally I will count that as only 2 failures! lol

Anyhow, the first mistake I made was keeping them in plastic containers in full sun, south side of my house- too hot(I bought them in the spring but they became miserable during the summer). So, I tried moving them, (still in their containers) to the East side of my house, under the canopy of a mature orange tree...and then they perked up a little! However, this was not a long-term solution, because I really didn't want such beautiful flowers to be hidden in the very small strip of land which is the east side of my house(bordering the neighbor's house, with a cement block wall in between). What's the point of having gorgeous flowers if I hardly ever see them? So, I tried transplanting the plants to the front (north) side of my house, and into the ground, where they would get half-sun half-shade, but they still got burnt badly by the summer sun. Maybe they would've done better if I had transplanted them a little earlier so they could get established well enough? Ultimately, they croaked. Of course, it's difficult to isolate one variable and say that's definitely what caused the problem, but overall, they do seem to appreciate a good amount of shade, especially during the summer!

I might try them again, but I'd only get the small containers...they seem fickle. Still, I've heard people here claim that they have them in full sun during the summer with no probs...but it makes me wonder, do they live here in Phoenix, or maybe in the outskirts where it might be just a little cooler during the summer? Hmm...

(dying of envy of my brother in South Florida, who has a whole row of them in his front yard that grow like weeds in full sun all summer long!)

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Comments (8)

tomatofreak
13 years ago
Never say die here. I planted plumbago along an east to west fence run a few years ago. It got some shade and some direct sun. I wasn't too worried, because I'd seen some humongous plants (on ASU campus, no less) facing directly west. Well, they died. A couple of months ago, I found some on sale, bought two 3-gallon and 2 smaller plants. I put one larger one in the same spot and one under the chaste tree in a raised bed. That one gets morning sun and filtered shade. I'm watering the smaller ones in their pots till I see how the other two do. So far, so good.
Pagancat
Original Author
13 years ago
Huh ... now I'm *really* confused... >grin
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tomatofreak
13 years ago
It is confusing! You can't believe those tags on plants that were grown out of state. I realized, at some point, that I had wadded *everything* together in shade - and some of those died. Sometimes it seems that unless you're growing cotton or corn, you're never sure that "full sun" really means **full** sun.
Pagancat
Original Author
13 years ago
Whew, that's the only thing I would envy him, other than the ocean - their summers are reaaaalllly rough, IMO.

Well, I have this one in a pot for the time being, with some of the Blue Dream petunias, on my porch which faces south. It does get some shade now from some trees, but.... we shall see!
xica_da_silva
13 years ago
Ha! Guess what? I was at the local big box store today and couldn't resist buying a $3.33 plumbago! I think I'll try planting it on the east side of my house and see what happens. Please keep us posted on yours, pagancat.
tomatofreak
13 years ago
Xica, you may be onto something! When we first looked at this house years ago, there were plumbagos all along the front of the house, facing east. The stupid appraiser told the (even stupider) owners to pull the soil away from the house (termite fear) and they destroyed ALL the plants, including the wall of cannas that were on the south side. In retrospect, we should have taken that as an omen, but that's another story...
Pagancat
Original Author
13 years ago
Will do, Xica, you too! It made it through the weekend, so that's a good sign, lol....