.jpg)
Perennial of the Plumbaginaceae family, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides is native to northern and western China, where it grows on rocky slopes, embankments, and roadsides in well-drained soil, often in sunny or slightly shaded locations.
It forms low, spreading clumps, 20 to 30 centimeters in height, with a carpet-like habit, developing through underground stolons and gradually covering large areas. The stems are reddish, slightly pubescent. The leaves are oval to obovate, shiny dark green, and take on remarkable bright red to purple-bronze hues in autumn, making it one of the few ground-covering perennials to offer marked ornamental interest at the end of the season.
The flowers are an intense, almost electric blue, with five petals united in a tube, grouped in small terminal heads and produced in great quantity. Their color, rare among rock garden perennials at this time, is one of the most distinctive features of the species.
In its natural habitat, flowering extends from July to October. In cultivation, it generally occurs from August to November, sometimes until the first frosts.
It thrives in full sun or partial shade, in well-drained, moderately rich soil. It withstands dry summers once established. Its hardiness is good but it starts late in spring, which may cause unnecessary concern at the time of the first shoots.