When I bought my house, there was this blue flower growing in partial
shade, dry soil... it's behaved like a perennial, but in this part of
Texas, a lot of plants that are annuals survive the winter. The
flowers have four petals, pale blue, and it grows as sort of a ground
hugging vine (but very slow-growing, maybe because of the shade/dry
soil, or that it grows beneath an oleandar?)

Unfortunately, my well-meaning brother didn't notice it there because
it wasn't in flower and raked it up while getting ready for Halloween
trick-or-treaters! I don't know if he got the root or not, but if I
can identify it, I'd like to plant some more... it's a charming little
plant and looks great growing over the landscaping rocks...

I've done countless web-searches, browsed most of the Lady Bird
Johnson flower database... and come up short...

I would be eternally greatful if someone could give me a clue:

http://gotmama.com/flower.html


Kind regards,
GigglesMom

In article
,
GigglesMom wrote:

http://gotmama.com/flower.html

blue plumbago
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/c.../plumbago.html
Cea

On 1/1/2008 5:57 AM, Celeste Evans wrote:
In article
,
GigglesMom wrote:

http://gotmama.com/flower.html

blue plumbago
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/c.../plumbago.html
Cea

Try cape plumbago (P. auriculata, sometimes called P. capensis). This
may be evergreen or deciduous, depending on how much frost you get in
the winter. It's hardy to about 15F. At that temperature, it will show
some damage but will recover quickly in the spring.

It's actually a shrub, not a perennial. However, if tied to a support,
it can grow like a vine.

It will do best with at least some sun but will tolerate partial shad.
It will take regular watering but is somewhat drought tolerant.

There are several varieties, each with a slightly different shade of
blue, from almost white to sky blue. Sunset recommends buying plants in
bloom so that you can see what color you're getting.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

On Tue, 01 Jan 2008 13:03:24 -0800, "David E. Ross"
wrote:

On 1/1/2008 5:57 AM, Celeste Evans wrote:
In article
,
GigglesMom wrote:

http://gotmama.com/flower.html

blue plumbago
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/c.../plumbago.html
Cea

Try cape plumbago (P. auriculata, sometimes called P. capensis). This
may be evergreen or deciduous, depending on how much frost you get in
the winter. It's hardy to about 15F. At that temperature, it will show
some damage but will recover quickly in the spring.

It's actually a shrub, not a perennial. However, if tied to a support,
it can grow like a vine.

It will do best with at least some sun but will tolerate partial shad.
It will take regular watering but is somewhat drought tolerant.

There are several varieties, each with a slightly different shade of
blue, from almost white to sky blue. Sunset recommends buying plants in
bloom so that you can see what color you're getting.


The pictures I find of plumbago have five petals, the flowers in the
OP's shot had four. Is there some variation, or am I missing
something?

On Jan 1, 3:03*pm, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 1/1/2008 5:57 AM, Celeste Evans wrote:

In article
,
*GigglesMom wrote:

http://gotmama.com/flower.html

blue plumbago
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/c.../plumbago.html
Cea

Try cape plumbago (P. auriculata, sometimes called P. capensis). *This
may be evergreen or deciduous, depending on how much frost you get in
the winter. *It's hardy to about 15F. *At that temperature, it will show
some damage but will recover quickly in the spring.

It's actually a shrub, not a perennial. *However, if tied to a support,
it can grow like a vine.

It will do best with at least some sun but will tolerate partial shad.
It will take regular watering but is somewhat drought tolerant.

There are several varieties, each with a slightly different shade of
blue, from almost white to sky blue. *Sunset recommends buying plants in
bloom so that you can see what color you're getting.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: *California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

Are there four petal variants of Plumbago? I had looked at that, but
discarded it because of the petal difference, thought the foliage is
about as close as I've found...

Thanks,
GigglesMom

You're right. After having no success with my books I tried plumbago on
google images and every close up has five. I tried looking up four blue
petals and got no where. The pic supplied still looks like a plumbago
though, so maybe it's a freak! Or as the one clear flower is the same
one in each pic, maybe we could ask gigling mom to have a look at the
other flowers? Maybe carefully unfurl the curled up ones? Do they all
have four petals?

Charles wrote:



The pictures I find of plumbago have five petals, the flowers in the
OP's shot had four. Is there some variation, or am I missing
something?

On 1/1/2008 3:24 PM, none wrote:
You're right. After having no success with my books I tried plumbago on
google images and every close up has five. I tried looking up four blue
petals and got no where. The pic supplied still looks like a plumbago
though, so maybe it's a freak! Or as the one clear flower is the same
one in each pic, maybe we could ask gigling mom to have a look at the
other flowers? Maybe carefully unfurl the curled up ones? Do they all
have four petals?

Charles wrote:


The pictures I find of plumbago have five petals, the flowers in the
OP's shot had four. Is there some variation, or am I missing
something?

My reference is Sunset's "Western Garden Book". Unfortunately, the
drawing is not sufficiently distinct to tell whether the flowers have 4
or 5 petals.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

Sigh, I would love to unfurl the flowers, if only there any left to
unfurl... as you see in my original message... my beloved brother has
torn it up (in addition to pruning my oleandar to the shape of a big
round ball, as though it was a boxwood... yuck!)... I'm hoping there
is enough root left there for it to grow back in the spring... I
agree, except for the four petals, it does look like (a rather
stunted) plumbago in every other way...

I'll keep check this thread, and keep looking... I might print out the
photos and take them to the extension agent...

Thanks to anyone who has made suggestions...

GigglesMom

On Jan 1, 5:24*pm, none ""jules\"@(none)" wrote:
You're right. After having no success with my books I tried plumbago on
google images and every close up has five. I tried looking up four blue
petals and got no where. The pic supplied still looks like a plumbago
though, so maybe it's a freak! Or as the one clear flower is the same
one in each pic, maybe we could ask gigling mom to have a look at the
other flowers? Maybe carefully unfurl the curled up ones? Do they all
have four petals?



Charles wrote:

The pictures I find of plumbago have five petals, the flowers in the
OP's shot had four. *Is there some variation, or am I missing
something?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On Dec 31 2007, 8:53*pm, GigglesMom wrote:
When I bought my house, there was this blue flower growing in partial
shade, dry soil... it's behaved like a perennial, but in this part of
Texas, a lot of plants that are annuals survive the winter. * The
flowers have four petals, pale blue, and it grows as sort of a ground
hugging vine (but very slow-growing, maybe because of the shade/dry
soil, or that it grows beneath an oleandar?)

Unfortunately, my well-meaning brother didn't notice it there because
it wasn't in flower and raked it up while getting ready for Halloween
trick-or-treaters! * I don't know if he got the root or not, but if I
can identify it, I'd like to plant some more... it's a charming little
plant and looks great growing over the landscaping rocks...

I've done countless web-searches, browsed most of the Lady Bird
Johnson flower database... and come up short...

I would be eternally greatful if someone could give me a clue:

http://gotmama.com/flower.html

Kind regards,
GigglesMom

It looks like a phlox to me. although not a Phlox divaricata, maybe
Phlox stolonifera -- Creeping Phlox. but these also appear to be 5-
petaled. Although not sure it can grow in Texas. A perennial.

On Jan 3, 8:13*am, GHillside wrote:
On Dec 31 2007, wrote:





When I bought my house, there was this blue flower growing in partial
shade, dry soil... it's behaved like a perennial, but in this part of
Texas, a lot of plants that are annuals survive the winter. * The
flowers have four petals, pale blue, and it grows as sort of a ground
hugging vine (but very slow-growing, maybe because of the shade/dry
soil, or that it grows beneath an oleandar?)

Unfortunately, my well-meaning brother didn't notice it there because
it wasn't in flower and raked it up while getting ready for Halloween
trick-or-treaters! * I don't know if he got the root or not, but if I
can identify it, I'd like to plant some more... it's a charming little
plant and looks great growing over the landscaping rocks...

I've done countless web-searches, browsed most of the Lady Bird
Johnson flower database... and come up short...
Thanks GHillside,

But I'm reasonably sure it's not a phlox, even though the flowers are
*very* similar... the leaves on my flower were whirled, and phlox has
opposite leaves. The leaves really do look very close to a Plumbago,
and I'm beginning to think that maybe I just have (sigh, I mean *had*)
a mutant plumbago.

If it grows back, I'm going to take a cutting to a county extension
agent I think...

GM


I would be eternally greatful if someone could give me a clue:

http://gotmama.com/flower.html

Kind regards,
GigglesMom

It looks like a phlox to me. although not a Phlox divaricata, maybe
Phlox stolonifera -- Creeping Phlox. *but these also appear to be 5-
petaled. *Although not sure it can grow in Texas. * A perennial.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -