Plant name: **Ceratostigma plumbaginoides** **Common name:** Hardy plumbago / blue leadwort **Identification confidence:** **High** — the vivid cobalt-blue, five-petalled flowers with reddish-purple calyces and reddening autumn foliage are very characteristic. ## Distinguishing features - Bright **gentian-blue, five-petalled flowers** - Clusters of **red-purple bracts/calyces** around the flowers - Low, spreading habit, often used as ground cover - Leaves turn **bronze-red/purple in autumn** - Flowers late in the season, which matches the appearance in the photograph with fallen autumn leaves ## Mature height and spread - **Height:** around **25–40 cm** - **Spread:** around **45–60 cm**, sometimes wider over time as it creeps gently ## Flowering season - Usually **August to October**, often valuable for late colour in UK gardens. ## Suitable soil and light - Best in **well-drained soil** - Tolerates average garden soil, including fairly poor soils once established - Prefers **full sun to partial shade** - Flowering is usually strongest in a warm, sunny position ## Watering - Water well after planting and during dry spells in the first season. - Once established, it is fairly drought tolerant, but flowering improves if it is not allowed to dry out completely in prolonged summer drought. ## Feeding - Usually needs little feeding. - In spring, apply a light mulch of compost or well-rotted organic matter. - Avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, as this can encourage leafy growth at the expense of flowers. ## Pruning care - In late winter or early spring, cut back old, tatty stems close to the base before new shoots appear. - Remove dead leaves and debris around the plant to improve airflow. - It can be lightly tidied after flowering, but the main cut-back is best left until spring. ## Note on identification The main subject appears to be **Ceratostigma plumbaginoides** rather than a cultivar. I would not assign a cultivar from this photograph alone. A wider photo showing the whole plant habit would confirm whether it is the low ground-covering species rather than a shrubbier Ceratostigma.