The flowers of Moltkia suffruticosa add a splash of azure blue to the Limestone Rock Garden.
This Italian endemic makes a valuable addition to the Limestone Rock Garden. This is a low-growing, semi-evergreen shrub which grows to form a compact mound of slender, hairy leaves, and cymes of narrow, tubular, blue flowers. A member of the Boraginaceae, or borage family, members of the genus Moltkia have alternate linear leaves, which bear hairs typical of the family. In this species the calyces also bear fine, silken hairs. The genus comprises six species of perennials and shrubs from Italy, Greece and northwest Asia. All thrive in harsh, exposed conditions, from rock crevices to open hillsides, in alkaline soils. The genus commemorates the nineteenth century Danish botanist, and patron of the University of Copenhagen, Count J G Moltke.