White Plumbago

Name: White Plumbago
Brand: Outdoor Dream Builders

Plumbago zeylanica

A compact Arizona native shrub with distinctive red buds that open to cream-colored flowers, attracting butterflies in spring.

Hardy in USDA zones 9-11; an Arizona native tolerant of low-desert heat, freezing back in hard frost but resprouting reliably from the roots.

AMWUA Notes

A moderate-water native that tolerates part shade; a butterfly larval host that adds soft warm-season bloom in filtered light.

Care Guide

💧Watering

Water every 7-10 days in summer, especially in the part shade it prefers; it is moderately drought tolerant but blooms and looks best with steady moisture.

✂️Pruning

Head back the sprawling stems in late winter to keep it compact; it can look loose and rangy, so periodic light pruning maintains a tidy mound.

🌱Fertilizing

A light spring feeding supports growth in lean soil.

🛡️Pests

Free of significant pests.

☀️Seasonal Notes

Semi-evergreen, freezing back in a hard frost and resprouting; red buds open to cream flowers mainly in the warm season, drawing butterflies including its larval hosts.

Soil, Feeding & Propagation

🪨Soil

Well-drained soils with some organic matter; tolerates caliche and alkaline pH and prefers part shade.

💧Drainage

Needs well-drained soil.

🌱Nutrient Needs

Low feeder.

🌰Propagation

From cuttings, seed, or division.

📐Spacing

3 ft

🌳Roots & Placement

Non-aggressive, scrambling roots; safe near pools and paths.

Placement Tips

•Compact at about 3 ft with a scrambling habit; space 3 ft apart in a border or let it weave among other plants.
•One of the few here that welcomes part shade, making it useful under tree canopies and on east exposures.
•Low litter and small size make it a good pool- and path-side filler.
•Site with some afternoon relief; it can bleach and struggle in the harshest reflected sun.