We continue the previous entry about plants with late summer flowering. These will give the last notes of color to the garden before the color change of the leaves of some species becomes the protagonist of the garden and marks the entrance of autumn. Thus, on this occasion we present this unique species, **_Ceratostigma willmottianum_** .
C. willmottianum is a semi-woody plant with deciduous foliage, native to China and Tibet. It is structured in the form of a mass of stems that reach about 80cm in height and up to 1m in width.
It begins flowering in September and ends during October. As it blooms, its leaves begin to take on a reddish tone that becomes more evident as autumn progresses, until it finally loses its leaves once winter arrives.
This fact defines an important uniqueness of this species, since in most plants that present autumn color change this does not coincide with flowering, and gives rise to an interesting spectacle of blue flowers set among reddish foliage.
The flowers, similar to those of Plumbago, are characterized by their pale blue color and tube-shaped corolla, which appear forming dense clusters at the stem tips. The last butterflies come to them, although other insects also take advantage of the nectar from their flowers.
Its cultivation does not present significant difficulties and its growth rate is moderate. It adapts correctly to all types of soils although they must be well-drained.
It is advisable to prune it at the beginning of spring to control its development and favor good growth.
It is a very drought-resistant plant; in fact it will present some problems if made to grow in humid and poorly drained places. It likes sheltered places and preferably protected from north winds. In warm climates, it can grow in semi-shaded areas although it prefers to be located in full sun. It is resistant to cold and moderate frosts, down to -15ºC.
These characteristics make it a special plant for the garden, which during the rest of the year may be a species that goes unnoticed, but in reality it saves all its potential for this pre-autumn time.
Another plant with very similar characteristics, although with ground-covering development and totally herbaceous vegetation, also available at Sala Graupera, is _[Ceratostigma plumbaginoides](http://www.salagraupera.com/es/cataleg/general/item/ceratostigma-plumbaginoides-2)_.