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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Lamiaceae (Labiatae) (Mints) |
| Origin: Australia (Australasia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Year-round |
| Synonyms: [Westringia rosmariniformis] |
| Height: 4-6 feet |
| Width: 6-12 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Westringia fruticosa (Coast Rosemary) - This dense evergreen shrub that in cultivation here in California typically grows to be a 4-6 feet tall mound by nearly twice as wide and can be left as a dense rounded shrub or be sheared for a more formal look. The linear dark gray-green leaves look similar to rosemary foliage, explaining the common name and one of the synonyms for this plant, Westringia rosmariniformis. The small white flowers bloom along the branches year-round in mild climates but it is a spring-bloomer in colder areas. Plant in full sun where it is drought tolerant but keeps better color and remains more dense when given occasional spring and summer irrigation. Cold hardy to about 20° F. It is an excellent dense growing shrub for coastal plantings where it can tolerate wind and sea spray. It is native the coast of New South Wales where it can be seen hugging the cliffs and growing near the sand on the beach. The name for the genus was given to it by Sir James Edward Smith, an English botanist and founder of the Linnaean Society in 1788. The name honors Dr. Johan Peter Westring (1753-1833), a botanist and physician to King Charles XIII of Sweden who was a student of Linnaeus. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word 'frutico' meaning "to put forth shoots" or "become bushy", likely in reference to the dense bushiness of this species. Westringia fruticosa was introduced into cultivation in California by William Walker at his Golden Gate Nursery in San Francisco in 1858. It was awarded the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 1993. We have been growing this great shrub since 1984 and it has proven itself to be useful, fairly drought tolerant and long lived in the landscape. We also grow several cultivars of this species including the variegated forms Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' and Westringia fruticosa 'Smokey', the low growing Westringia fruticosa Mundi and Westringia fruticosa Low Horizon, the compact gray Westringia fruticosa Gray Box as well as the hybrids Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem', Westringia 'Wynyabbie Highlight' and and the compact blue flowering Westringia 'Blue Gem.
The information about Westringia fruticosa displayed on this page is based on research conducted in our nursery library and from online sources we consider reliable. We will also relate those observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and in other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has additional information, particularly when they share cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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