For autumn flowers, choose this kind of potted plant: easy to care for, blooms often, and has high ornamental value

Introduction

Green plants and potted flowers are essential decorative items for home life. Keeping some flowers and plants at home has many benefits: it beautifies the room and lifts your mood. "Flower Sound Potted Plant Diary, Issue 1257" introduces you to a plant suitable for growing in autumn.

Today's featured plant

Last time we introduced the woody flowering plant Hibiscus syriacus 'Hamabo' (rose of Sharon), and some flower lovers commented that it is difficult to grow and hard to get through summer. This time we introduce a plant that is not afraid of summer and is often grown together with rose of Sharon: Plumbago auriculata (blue plumbago). It can be planted in the ground in a courtyard or grown in a pot on a balcony. When it blooms, the whole tree is covered in flowers, making it a great decorative accent.

Plumbago auriculata

Plumbago auriculata (blue plumbago) is a perennial shrub in the genus Plumbago, family Plumbaginaceae. It is native to southern Africa and is now widely distributed around the world as an ornamental flowering plant. It is cultivated in many provinces and cities in China, and in quite a few places it has even escaped into the wild. Its leaves are emerald green, and it bears pale blue flowers. It is elegant and fresh, with high ornamental value.

Long flowering period

Although the flowering period of blue plumbago is not as long as that of rose of Sharon, it still blooms readily. It usually begins blooming in late spring and continues all the way into late autumn, with a very large flower quantity. The flowers cover the branches, and the small flowers close together to form "balls," somewhat like Pelargonium (geranium). It has a faint fragrance, and as a potted plant it easily blooms so abundantly that it fills the pot.

Easy to cultivate

Unlike rose of Sharon, which fears heat, blue plumbago is the plant least afraid of summer. The hotter the weather, the more beautiful its flowers, and it does not fear high temperatures or severe heat at all. With its tenacious vitality, it has become a must-grow plant in summer for many city parks and flower beds, blooming for months at a time with a great decorative effect.

Bonsai tree

Blue plumbago is a woody plant with many branches and fast growth. If it is not pruned in time, it easily grows into an "octopus" with messy branches, which affects its appearance. Generally, there are two kinds of pruning. One is pinching the top to promote branching and shape it into a round ball. The other is cutting side branches and training the main trunk; over time, it will form a "lollipop" bonsai tree, which is very beautiful.