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Products > Westringia Blue Gem ['WES03'] PP25,674   Westringia Blue Gem ['WES03'] PP25,674 - Blue Gem Coast Rosemary     [2nd Image] Habit and Cultural Information Category: Shrub Family: Lamiaceae (Labiatae) (Mints) Origin: Australia (Australasia) Evergreen: Yes Flower Color: Lavender Blue Bloomtime: Year-round Parentage: (W. 'x2003.9.1' x W. 'x2003.9.3') Height: 4-6 feet Width: 3-4 feet Exposure: Sun or Shade Seaside: Yes Summer Dry: Yes Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F Westringia Blue Gem ['WES03'] PP25,674 (Blue Gem Coast Rosemary) - A beautiful newer selection of the Australian Coast Rosemary shrub that has a compact upright form to 4 to 6 feet tall (stretching a bit taller in shade) by 3 to 4 feet wide with foliage composed of narrow 3/4 inch long olive-green leaves on dark maroon-brown stems. The vibrant bluish purple flowers erupt in profusion in spring but are also present throughout much of the rest of the year. Plant in full sun to light shade and irrigate infrequently to occasionally. Like other Westringia cultivars this plant is tolerant of most soils so long as they drain and situations including coastal exposure, drought, inland heat and humidity. Hardy to at least 25° F and likely a bit lower - possibly to as low as 18° F for short durations. Prune to shape once or twice a year to keep it dense and it can be kept as a smaller shrub and with more regular trimming it makes an excellent compact low hedge to around 3 feet tall - tolerates this pruning treatment far better than the similar and larger cultivar 'Wynyabbie Gem'. With its long blooming period this plant also will make a great landscape specimen in the garden. This plant comes from the controlled breeding work conducted by University of Sydney's Plant Breeding Institute in October 2005 and was the result of cross two hybrids Westringia 'x2003.9.1' x W. 'x2003.9.3'. Under the cultivar name 'WES03' it received Plant Breeder's Rights in Australia in May 2013 and its US Plant Patent in July 2015. 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 to name honor Dr. Johan Peter Westring (1753-1833), a botanist and physician to King Charles XIII of Sweden who was a student of Linnaeus. This plant will likely replace Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem' in our product mix but we continue to also grow the variegated selection Westringia 'Wynyabbie Highlight' and the species Westringia fruticosa and several cultivars of this species including the variegated forms Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' and Westringia fruticosa 'Smokey', the low growing Westringia fruticosa Mundi and the compact gray Westringia fruticosa Gray Box.  Information displayed on this page about  Westringia Blue Gem ['WES03'] PP25,674 is based on the research conducted about it in our library and from reliable online resources. We also note those observations we have made of this plant as it grows in the nursery's garden and in other gardens, as well how crops have performed in our nursery field. We will incorporate comments we receive from others, and welcome to hear from anyone who may have additional information, particularly if they share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.     [MORE INFO]