Gray Santolina

Santolina chamaecyparissus

Plant Details:

Plant Type: Perennial
Plant Family: Asteraceae
Plant Description: Also known as Lavender Cotton, this dense, rounded, evergreen perennial has fragrant, slender, silvery-grey foliage that grows on wooly white stems. Bright yellow button-like flowers bloom abundantly in mid summer. Tolerates drought and poor soils. Also known as S. incana.

Maintenance:

Maintenance Type: Shrub - Hard Pruning
Plant Care: Shrub - Hard Pruning (woody multi-stemmed plants that lose their leaves every winter and look best on one year of new growth): Cut down all branches to the base of the plant every year in the late winter or early spring, leaving a few inches with buds to regrow. Monitor for pests, diseases, or other ailments on a regular basis.

Plant Attributes:

Mature Size: 12-24" tall x 24-36" wide
Utah Native: No
Plant Select: No
Pollinator Friendly: Yes
Localscapes: Infill Plant, Park Strip Plant
Foliage Interest: No
Foliage Colors: Gray-green, Silver-green
Bloom Colors: Yellow
Bloom Seasons: Summer
Bloom Period: Jun - Aug

Growing Conditions:

Hardiness Zone: 6 to 9
Light Requirement: Full Sun (6+ hrs sun)
Irrigation Requirement:     Low (1/2" every 10-14 days)
Salt Tolerant: Unknown
Deer Resistant: Yes

Garden Location:

  • Commercial Concepts
    • Education Center Parking

Garden Staff Tips & Insights:

Some shearing may be required in early spring to develop a desirable shape. Can handle occasional hard pruning. Deadhead when blossoms fade.
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Fall
  • Winter