Is Plumbago deer resistant?
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Plant typeGroundcoverHardinessZones 5–9LightPart shadeMature height6–8 inBloomSummer and Fall
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Plumbago
Gentian-blue flowers in late summer while the foliage turns bronze-red underneath them, which is an unusually good combination that late in the year. It emerges very late in spring, so mark the position. Spreads slowly by underground stems into a useful low carpet.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Plumbago
Other groundcovers with the same deer rating.
Where Plumbago grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
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Every list Plumbago belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Plumbago
- Is Plumbago deer resistant?
- Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Plumbago grow in?
- Plumbago is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Plumbago grow in shade?
- Yes. Plumbago tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Plumbago get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–8 in. Growth rate is moderate.