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Scrambling Gromwell

Glandora diffusa

Also called Shrubby Gromwell, Purple Gromwell

Scrambling Gromwell
Photo: KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0

A low, mat-forming evergreen subshrub from Spain, grown for its masses of intense blue flowers in rock and alpine gardens. It needs full sun and very sharp drainage to avoid root rot.

Family
Boraginaceae (Borage family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water moderately while establishing, then allow the soil to dry between waterings; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained, acidic to neutral soil, such as gritty or sandy mix.
Temperature
Hardy to -23 °C (USDA zones 6 to 8); protect from prolonged wet cold.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Spain
Climate
temperate

About

Glandora diffusa, the purple gromwell, syn. Lithodora diffusa, Lithospermum diffusa, is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. It is a mat-forming perennial growing to 15 cm (6 in) tall by 60 cm (24 in) or more wide, with dark green, hairy evergreen leaves and masses of blue or white 5-lobed flowers. It is suitable for cultivation in a rock garden or alpine garden.

Although there is a variety with white flowers, G. diffusa var. alba, the blue-flowered varieties are most valued in gardens for the intense azure color of their abundant blooms. A number of cultivars have been developed for garden use.

Other Glandora plants

Olive Leaved Gromwell · Creeping Gromwell

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Glandora diffusa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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