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Climb on forever
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The climber is believed to be an antidote to lead poisoning
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UP, UP AND AWAY The Leadwort with its beautiful flowers
Plumbago compensis commonly called the Leadwort is a tender climbing perennial from the family Plumbaginaceae and comes from Africa.
The name is derived from the Latin, plumbum meaning lead. It was once believed to be an antidote to lead poisoning.
The thin scraggly stems of this shrubby plant can grow up to 4 feet long and need to be tied to supports. The short stalked, elliptic, medium, green leaves are 2 inches long and tend to curl downward; the older ones having whitish scales beneath, as do the stems. Terminal clusters of pale blue flowers are produced all summer. Each flower has a thin one-and-a-half-inch long tube flowing into five pale blue petals, with a thin dark blue line running down the centre of each petal. There is also a white variety of plumbago called alba.
Plumbago is usually used for training up walls, rafters, pillars and tree trunks.
They are also used as pot plants and hedges. Grow them in full sunlight in well-fertilised ordinary garden soil. During the period of active growth water plentifully. Apply high potash liquid fertiliser every two weeks during the growth period only. Cut back the plant fairly hard after flowering.
For propagation take 3 to 4 inch long cuttings of shoots that are neither soft and fleshy nor hard and woody. Insert each cutting in a pot of moistened mixture of peat and coarse sand in equal parts. Enclose the whole in a plastic bag and stand them in bright filtered light. When rooting has occurred remove the covering and water moderately. When the young plant is a foot high rip out the growing tip to encourage branching and move into bigger pots. Shoots sprouting from the old woody stem will produce the next crop of flowers.
CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN
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