Leadwort

Light Needs

Partial Shade to Full Sun

(At Least 3 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

1 Foot

Mature Spread

2 Feet

Growing Zones

5 to 8

If you are in search of a low-maintenance, flowering groundcover with three seasons of interest, then your search is over because Leadwort is the plant for you. Brilliant blue star-shaped flowers bloom from mid-summer through fall. The flowers of the Ceratostigma plumbaginoides are on stems that reach above the foliage, so the blooms are on full display. The oval leaves are a bronzy hue when they first emerge in the spring and later settle into a glossy green before changing things up once again in the fall when the leaves turn a blazing shade of dark red.

Leadwort is a spreading groundcover, but it is less invasive than some groundcovers, so it will mostly stay put. Pair Leadwort with early spring-blooming bulbs for a seamless transition and consistent greenery or use under a tall shrub or tree. The darling blue flowers look lovely against the hardscape in a rock garden. Leadwort grows as a perennial in USDA zones 5 through 8.

Leadwort Care

This adaptable plant can be grown in full sun or partial shade. Although, increased light will encourage more blooms. Drainage is the most essential quality in terms of soil because this plant does not like to be soggy. Slightly acidic soil with high organic content is a plus. About half an inch of water per week is enough to keep this plant happy and healthy. Apply a balanced fertilizer in early spring and again in early summer.

Leadwort is a herbaceous perennial, and the growth will die back in the fall. Damaged growth can be removed at any time, but some gardeners leave the dead foliage in place over the winter, so it is easy to identify precisely where the new growth will emerge in the spring.

Leadwort Spacing

This spreading perennial will grow 12 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide. Space plants 22 to 28 inches apart to create a full and dense groundcover.