By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

photo by Greg Corman

Plumbago scandens, shown above, was not a plant on my radar until I got Greg Corman's last newsletter, but now I'm eager to try it.  Unlike the more familiar blue plumbago (P. auriculata), which comes from South Africa, this white-flowered beauty is from the Americas.  It is native from Florida to Arizona, south to Central America and does well in Sunset zones 12-13, 21-24, and H1 and H2.

What tempts me is its compact size -- 2' to 4' tall and as wide at maturity -- small enough for most gardens.  I also like the fact its glossy green foliage turns dark red late in the year, an especially attractive virtue in mild-winter climates where we crave fall-colored leaves. And then there are those snow white flowers, which bloom much of the year and I'm told look even more striking against dark red foliage than they do against bright green.

Greg Corman of the Tucson-based garden design firm Gardening Insights, recommends planting P. scandens under velvet mesquite or with desert willow or netleaf hackberry trees or combined with bamboo muhly grass and red justicia. 

I'm not sure yet how I'll use it in my Southern California garden -- any suggestions? -- or even how easy it will be to find, but the search is on and that's fun in itself.