Thursday, January 07, 2010

Blue Cape Plumbago

Blue Cape Plumbago
Plumbago auriculata
(plum-BAY-go) (aw-rik-yoo-LAY-tuh)
Synonym: Cape Leadwort

It seems once a year Plumbago shows up on this blog. I will say again I think Plumbago is a beautiful flower. It adds a beautiful touch of blue to your garden and is easy to cultivate. There are some variations in the blueness of some varieties but they are all pretty. It is considered a tender perennial and must be taken inside for winter here. Plumbago seems to tolerate heavy shearing and will often explode in a cloud of color afterwards. It is a native of South Africa but is adaptable to many areas.

Since Plumbago is often called Skyflower I thought it would be a good flower for Skywatch. Here is a photo of a rainstorm of the coast off La Jolla, California. There was a rainbow, too. After a little while watching these clouds the rain came to us. This picture is a rarity here since it was shot with Karen's Nikon D80 with a 18-135mm Nikon lens.


“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson's Journals, 1843

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12 comments:

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Love Plumbago. It is hardy in my area. I guess I should have more of it.
Beautiful sky and great quote.

Max-e said...

Lovely shot of the plumbago. They are in full bloom in the Eastern Cape at the moment. They are one of my many favourite indigenous flowers and grow in profusion in our area. Thanks for the visit and your comments.

Kala said...

Lovely photo - there are not many blue flowers where I live. It's a treat to see them when they're blooming.

Kim, USA said...

Oh my that is an amazing picture. Thanks for sharing!

SkyWatchFriday:Sunset

Carletta said...

Lovely flower but what a stunning sky shot! Great perspective!

Anonymous said...

And what a beautiful Skyflower it is & that view is magnificent!

Serendipity said...

Wow, that's a brilliant skywatch shot!

Rajesh said...

Fantastic shots.

Marites said...

those are pretty flowers and i have never seen them before. The skies look so low and almost kissing the waters. Really beautiful capture!

SandyCarlson said...

I would love to fly in that space between the water and the clouds. Oh, to have wings. Beautiful shot.

Darla said...

Very nice sky photo and I love Plumbago!!

Tara R. said...

I love watching thunderstorms roll into the beach. This is s lovely SkyWatch selection.