Glandora Species, Lithodora, Scrambling Gromwell, Shrubby Gromwell

Bought 10 plants from Lowe's...of the 2 that struggled (lots of rain!), 1 bounced back, the other is in quarantine...will nurse it back t...Read Moreo health.

Here's what I found out with extensive googling and trial and error...

LIKES:
full sun, ***fast draining soil***, acidic soil, pruning

HATES:
***wet roots***, branches sitting on wet soil

COMMON PROBLEMS:
Blackening or drying out in the middle--caused by too much watering. If the plant isn't too far gone, consider amending the soil by mixing in sand/pea gravel, moisture control soil and compost. Top dress with gravel, as the branches do not like to sit on wet soil.

NOTES:
I grow these little guys in flower boxes--1 or 2 per 24 inch flower boxes out on my bedroom balcony. I love to wake up, open my eyes, and these bright blue flowers are the first things I see :)

Their growth habit is to spread. When they have no more room to spread, they will grow upwards.

MY SOIL MEDIUM:
A mix of
30% Miracle Grow Moisture Control
35% Pea Gravel
35% Small aquarium gravel (optional, I just had to re-purpose them from my fishtank hobby)

Very little actual soil is needed--these guys LOVE and will THRIVE in rockeries...so gravel is, in my opinion, the best medium for these plants.

This plant was not hardy in my Zone 7, garden with a bit of snow.

I saw 4 foot square drifts of it in NZ that were beautiful!

I was glad I went to this website when searching for a periennial ground cover. I planted approx. 6 Lithodora around an "island" in the ...Read Morecorner of our front yard. Its green leaves and pretty, bright blue flowers added such an elegant appearance to that once-boring island. Thank you for the valuable info you provide, esp. for "apprentices" like myself. Will update my comments when they've been in the ground a whole year.