Two big weaknesses. It is late to show up. This leads to the second and bigger weakness. It tends to look pretty bad over winter: a big brown mass of brown stems once the seeds and leaves fall after it dies back for winter.

Its bloom, though, is worth putting up with these weaknesses. I have about 200 square feet and potted up sixty 3-inch containers this summer. I transplanted them today on a problem bank where I am trying to get it established. It grows by runners and seed, both of which are slow. Some take that to mean invasive, but I conclude far from it. At least under my conditions and in my zone, it is well restrained and is very slow to fill out.

It blooms here in mid to late summer and continues blooming into fall. I do not water it and it has looked fine for 5 years even in the drought years of '12 and '13. It handles our 100-degree temps without missing a beat.

If you can live with its weaknesses, I recommend it as a dry area groundcover.

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Plumbago makes a good ground cover for sunny to partly sunny places. Electric blue flowers come in late summer and fall, above 1 inch shiny green leaves which turn red and yellow in the fall. Plumbago, which is late to break dormancy in the spring, makes a moderately thick ground cover, but once established, it is very tough and tolerates abuse such as drought and hot weather.

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Use blue plumbago to edge a sunny flower border, or plant clumps in a lightly shaded shrub border, or grow it as a ground cover where its spreading habit can be used to advantage.

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Very late to emerge in Zone5 Massachusetts, don't cut old stems in Fall or plant with bulbs so don't lose them. My tag says Zone 6-9 but have had success when protected with leaf cover in Zone 5

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Fabulous true blue color of flowers, and does very well in a difficult position---lots of heat caused by concrete walkways and south side of house. We must water regularly to keep plant going, but in cooler weather, does just fine.

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Love the true-blue flowers. Seems to spread slowly, so it's controllable. Doesn't get that tall, but is not what I would classify as xeric. More stunted if not watered regularly. Rather unassuming until fall, when it blooms, and then spectacular.

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I planted this one year into the ground and it grew and spread into a big area. The fall color of the leaves was a burgundy color. The color of the flowers is a gorgeous blue!

I don't have the space for it in the ground, but it's a beautiful plant with the blue flowers and the fall colored leaves! If I planted it again, it would be into a container, where I could control the spreading.

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