Ceratostigma willmottianum
| Ceratostigma willmottianum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ceratostigma willmottianum (common name: chinese plumbago)
Propagation: Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in the spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division of rooted suckers in the spring[1].
Layering in the spring. Plants often self-layer[1].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a closed frame[1]. Plants should be overwintered in a frost-free frame or greenhouse for their first winter[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a light moderately fertile and retentive soil with good drainage, though it tolerates poor dry soils[1] and grows well on chalk[2]. Requires a sunny position[2][1].
Plants are not fully hardy in Britain, especially if treated as shrubs, but if treated as herbaceous perennials they succeed outdoors in areas where winter temperatures do not fall below about -10 to -15°c[1]. When the woody stems survive the winter it is best to prune them hard in the spring in order to obtain better flowering[2].
Plants flower best on the current years growth[1].
Most, if not all the plants in cultivation in Britain, derive from an original two plants raised from seed in 1908[2].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[3].
Range: E. Asia - W. China to Tibet.
Habitat: Warm valleys at forest edges or in thickets; 700--3500 m. Gansu (Wen Xian), W Guizhou, S and W Sichuan, SE Xizang, E and N Yunnan[4].
Medicinal: The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Distrust of self', 'Doubt of one's ability' and 'Foolishness'[5].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Chancellor, Philip. Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. C W Daniel, 1985.