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Category: Shrub |
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflowers) |
Origin: Mediterranean (Europe) |
Evergreen: Yes |
Flower Color: Yellow |
Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
Height: 1-2 feet |
Width: 3-4 feet |
Exposure: Full Sun |
Seaside: Yes |
Summer Dry: Yes |
Deer Tolerant: Yes |
Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
Winter Hardiness: < 0 °F |
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Santolina chamaecyparissus (Gray Lavender Cotton) - A low, dense, long lived evergreen shrub that grows to 2 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. The hairy gray aromatic pinnately-lobed narrow 1 inch long leaves with tiny leaflets densely clothe the hairy shoots. Solitary yellow button flowers bloom on 6 inch tall stalks during the late spring and summer. Plant in full sun to part day sun and irrigate very little if at all once established - truly a drought tolerant plant! Hardy to 0 °F or below and useful in USDA Zones 5b to 10. Tolerates seaside conditions and is resistant to animal predation. This plant does particularly well in coastal California garden with little or no supplemental water - in situations such as this a flowing carpet effect of foliage, under 1 foot tall, can develop. A great plant for a formal edging or allowed to flow for an informal look. It is native to dry banks and rocky slopes in western and central Mediterranean region from Portugal to Yugoslavia. The name for the Genus comes from the Latin phrase 'sanctum linum' which means "holy flax", a name applied to one of the green species of Santolina for its medicinal qualities and the specific epithet given to this plant by Linnaeus in 1753 and comes from the Greeks word 'chamae' which means "dwarf", "low-growing" or "growing on the ground" and 'kyparissos', a word for "cypress" which combine to mean a "dwarf or ground cypress". We have grown this great plant since our nursery first opened in 1979 and also grow Green Santolina, Santolina rosmarinifolia and Santolina neapolitana 'Lemon Queen'.
This information about Santolina chamaecyparissus displayed is based on research conducted in our library and from reliable online resources. We will also note observations that we have made about it as it grows in the gardens in our nursery and those elsewhere, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others, and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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