A delightful ground cover to use to create winding paths in your garden.
It is impressively tolerant of extreme weather conditions and even tolerates short droughts once established.
Individual plants reach full size in a single growing season and will begin extending runners in their second year.
Soil ideally should be kept consistently moist if possible.
Drought does not kill the plants, but it may cause them to go dormant.
Keep this in mind when deciding where youd like to plant blue star creeper.
It can be easily contained withdeep garden barriers or walls.
In shady conditions, the plant’s growth may be more sparse, and flowers may be less plentiful.
Soil
Blue star creeper is not picky when it comes to soil.
As long as it is planted in a moist, well-draining medium it will be happy.
It grows best in a slightly acidic soil, but easily tolerates neutral and even slightly alkaline conditions.
Water
Blue star creeper can be described as having medium water needs.
During the summer, keep the soil moist with regular watering to support strong growth.
A typical 1-inch-per-week watering schedule, preferably divided into two or more watering sessions, is ideal.
Temperature and Humidity
Blue star creeper is reliably cold-hardy in USDA zones 6 to 8.
They are resilient plants that can withstand temperatures as low as minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit with snow cover.
In these regions, it is often a semi-evergreen plant that goes dormant in the winter.
This plant does well in both dry and humid atmospheric conditions, provided soil moisture requirements are met.
Fertilizer
Heavy fertilization is not required for blue star creeper.
In fact, fertilizing blue star creeper too often can encourage more aggressive growth.
The other subspecies are rarely sold, and distinguishing them requires a detailed examination of the flower parts.
These additional subspecies includeIsotoma fluviatilissubsp.Australis,andIsotoma fluviatilissubsp.Borealis.
Propagating Blue Star Creeper
Blue star creeper is readily propagated by seed and by division.
Use a standard potting mix and a well-draining pot of any material you choose.
Overwintering
Within its recognized hardiness range, blue star creeper requires no winter cold protection.
Badly affected plants should be removed to prevent the spread of disease.
Amend the soil to improve drainage before replanting.
Avoid fertilizer with too much nitrogen.
Common Problems With Blue Star Creeper
This plant is easy to grow and maintain.
Remove affected plants and add soil amendments to improve drainage before replanting.
Blue star creeper is a good ground cover.
It makes a good filler between pavers in stepping-stone pathways.
It can also make a good edging plant along streams or ponds.
Vinca minor has glossy deep green leaves and deep indigo flowers, and it spreads through runners.
But like blue star creeper,Vinca minorneeds to be supervised to prevent unwanted spread.
In zones 6 to 8, blue star creeper is considered a perennial and will grow back every year.
Some gardeners in colder regions plant blue star creeper as annuals, removing them after the summer.
But they are aggressive spreaders, making the plants difficult to remove from the ground.
