Ideally suited to a well-drained soil in full sun with no supplementary water once established. Summer irrigation will initially speed growth on this plant but will also greatly shorten its lifespan, so it is best not to water when in doubt. It is cold hardy to around 15 degrees F. The fuzz (stellate hairs) on the leaves can be very irritating to the skin, and protection should be worn for the eyes if a person needs to work with this plant. This very showy large plant is one of the best native California cultivars where one has the room to grow it.

Fremontodendron 'California Glory' is a presumed hybrid of Fremontodendron californicum and Fremontodendron mexicanum. It was discovered growing at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (now the California Botanic Garden") and was named and introduced by them in 1962. The seed used to grow this plant was long thought to come from a Fremontodendron californicum but the original lot of seed could have been of hybrid origin and was either collected at the original Rancho Santa Ana Garden site or perhaps at Theodore Payne’s Nursery on Los Feliz Boulevard in Los Angeles.

The name of the genus was named in combination with the Greek word 'dendron', meaning "tree" as a dedication to John Charles Frémont (1813-1890), who first collected Fremontodendron californicum during an 1846 expedition to Alta California. The leaves have a leathery and fuzzy texture reminiscent of flannel that gives these plants their common name. This large evergreen shrub was displayed on the cover of the 40th edition of Sunset Western Garden Book. It is the winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the California Horticultural Society in 1965 and received a First-Class Certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1967. We have grown this great cultivar since 1982 and also grow Fremontodendron mexicanum, Fremontodendron 'Ken Taylor' and Fremontodendron 'Dara's Gold'. 

Information displayed on this page about Fremontodendron 'California Glory' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.