Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Summer Snow, Native Plumbago, Plumbago floridana

Description:

An evergreen, loosely sprawling shrub featuring clusters of pure white tubular flowers that are sometimes tinged with pink; blooms year-round, with a break in the hottest weather; may die back to the ground in zone 8; an excellent container plant

Ornamental Features

Doctorbush has masses of beautiful clusters of white star-shaped flowers with shell pink overtones at the ends of the branches from late summer to early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its small textured oval leaves emerge chartreuse in spring, turning light green in colour the rest of the year.

Landscape Attributes

Doctorbush is a multi-stemmed annual with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Doctorbush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Doctorbush will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America.

Doctorbush is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.