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'. 

This information about Fremontodendron 'California Glory' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.