Plumbago Resilient After Heavy Pruning | Green Patches - Mediterranean Gardening

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Plumbago Resilient After Heavy Pruning

5 comments
This morning I got a great surprise, the Plumbago survives to see another Spring!  A couple of weeks ago the Plumbago seemed like a gonner, it was all dried up with no leaves at all, and hardly any good branches left.  Usually by this time of year I would be enjoying some lovely purple flowers, but this year it was not to be.

dried plumbago



I cut all the dried branches all the way to the bottom of the pot.  Where I saw that the inside was the branch was still yellow and supple, not dry and dark brown, I stopped cutting.  I watered it regularly, but did not give it any fertilizer, for no particular reason.  Perhaps I thought it was no use, and it would not survive the heavy pruning.

Plumbago after pruning


As you can see from the image above the inside of the branches where I stopped cutting look like they have some life in them still, and there were a few green leaves.  

The green leaves have now dried up, but this morning I saw new branches, and leaves sprouting out of the branches.

Plumbago taking life again

New Baby Sprouts

They are small signs of life, but life none the less.  This gives me hope that even though I pruned it right in the middle of Spring, it will still recover.  Since it rained yesterday I have not watered it, and have not given it any fertilizer yet, but I will next time I water it.  Who knows I might still get a few flowers for Summer after all.

One thing's for sure, this plant is as resilient as I read it is and it seems like no matter how much you prune it, it will keep coming back.  :) 

Here's an update just three weeks later!

Plumbago Pruned
Plumbago Foliage 

plumbago leaves
The Leaves Seems Bigger!


5 comments:

  1. it is pretty tough, and responds kindly to a little attention. Remember they are used to being stomped on by elephants in the Eastern Cape, and bouncing back.

    Won't you add a link to your own blog, on your Blogger profile? Had to backtrack via Blooming Blogs (or Blotanical) to find you - and your comment on my blog should be able to bring people back to yours.

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  2. Thanks for the comment, I will certainly look into that :)

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  3. Nice to see signs of life in the Plumbago. It will quickly get back to full glory! Mine has finally given up the ghost after limping through 2 winters in the greenhouse, here in the UK.

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  4. Hello Jane thanks for stopping by, sorry to hear about your Plumbago, in Winter here it generally sheds all its leaves, and goes to sleep until spring.

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  5. Mine has lasted 4 yrs I think and dies back each year congrats

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