Blue and White Plumbago, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Plumbago is a fast-growing, sprawling shrub that blooms almost year-round in Southwest Florida and keeps butterflies coming back. It likes full to part sun and takes our sandy soil and dry spells once established. Use it as a loose hedge, a foundation shrub or a spiller over a wall. Blue and white forms are in stock in 3 gallon pots, ready to be delivered and planted.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade
- Water:
- Regular while young; drought tolerant once established
- Salt:
- Low to moderate; keep it behind other plantings on exposed lots
Plumbago sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Variety or form | Sizes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Plumbago | 3 Gallon | The classic pale sky-blue flowers, in 3 gallon, and the form most people picture. |
| White Plumbago | 3 Gallon | A white-flowered form with the same habit and care, in 3 gallon; it stands out against dark walls and in shaded beds. |
Plumbago in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- Up to 6 ft tall and wide left alone; usually kept at 3 to 4 ft
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular while young; drought tolerant once established
- Salt tolerance
- Low to moderate; keep it behind other plantings on exposed lots
- Cold tolerance
- Frost browns the tops; a hard freeze can cut it to the ground but it regrows from the roots
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Spacing
- 4 to 6 ft apart for a loose hedge or mass planting
- Florida native
- No
- Botanical name
- Plumbago auriculata
Where Plumbago works in a SW Florida yard
Plumbago wants room to spread, so give it a fence line, a wall or a wide foundation bed rather than a tight corner. Sky-blue flowers look cool against white stucco, and the white form brightens shade from a tree or a block wall.
Blue and white planted in alternating groups looks planned. Good companions are Blue Daze at the front, Bulbine in the middle and Cape Honeysuckle behind, for a bed that flowers in several colors.
- Loose flowering hedge
- Foundation and fence line
- Butterfly garden
- Spilling over walls
- Large containers
How our crew plants it
A 3 gallon plumbago goes into a hole twice as wide as the pot and no deeper, with the top of the root ball level with the soil. Space plants 4 to 6 ft apart for a loose hedge, closer if you plan to trim it tight.
Backfill with native soil, water in well and mulch lightly. New plants can have extra water under Lee and Collier rules for the first couple of months, and after that rain plus two assigned days carries them.
Care after planting
- Water the plant well before a hard prune, and never cut it back when it is dry.
- Do the big haircut in late winter, around March, and trim lightly the rest of the year since heavy summer pruning cuts flowers.
- Keep it at the size you want with light trims, because it will pass 6 ft if left alone.
- Feed in spring and fall with a slow-release shrub food, skipping nitrogen and phosphorus from June 1 to September 30, and use a micronutrient mix if leaves yellow in alkaline soil.
What to watch for
- Cottony cushion scale and spider mites are the usual pests, so wash off small outbreaks and prune out heavy ones.
- Yellowing leaves in alkaline, limerock-based soil often point to a micronutrient shortage rather than a watering problem.
- The sticky flower calyces catch on clothing and pet fur, so keep it back from tight walkways.
Plumbago questions we hear
How fast does plumbago grow in Florida?+
Fast. In a sunny Cape Coral or Fort Myers bed, a 3 gallon plant can fill a 4 to 6 ft gap in a season or two, and left alone it can reach 6 ft or more tall and wide. That speed is why most plumbago needs trimming several times a year to stay at 3 to 4 ft.
Does plumbago bloom all year in Southwest Florida?+
Nearly. Flowering is heaviest from spring through fall and slows in the coolest weeks of winter, and frost can knock the flowers off. Full sun gives the most blooms. Heavy pruning in the growing season cuts flowers, so trim lightly in season and save the hard cutback for March.
When and how should I prune plumbago?+
Give it a hard cutback in late winter, around March, once frost danger is past. Water it well the day before and never prune a dry plant. Light shaping at other times is fine, but heavy trimming in the growing season cuts flowers.
Will plumbago come back after a freeze?+
Usually. Frost browns the tops, and a hard freeze can cut it to the ground, but plumbago regrows from the roots once it warms. Wait for new growth before cutting back so you can see what is alive. Inland lots like Lehigh Acres freeze more often than the coast.
Is plumbago good for butterflies?+
Yes. Butterflies visit the flowers steadily, and UF/IFAS lists butterfly attraction among its uses. Plant it in full sun for the most blooms, and skip broad-spectrum sprays so the visitors keep coming.
How much does it cost to have plumbago planted?+
That depends on how many plants, what size and how long the bed is, which is why we text a planted price rather than post one. Most requests get an answer within the hour during the day. Half down holds the plants and a delivery day.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Plumbago
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
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