Santolina chamaecyparissusCotton Lavender

Silver foliage does a great deal of work in a hot palette, and Santolina chamaecyparissus supplies it in the neatest possible form: a dense low dome of finely divided, aromatic, felted grey-white leaves that clips into a hard edge.

It is a western Mediterranean plant of dry stony hillsides, so the requirement is sharp drainage and full sun. Humidity and wet feet will kill it far faster than any drought.

Specifications

• Height0.4 to 0.6 metres
• Width0.6 to 1 metre
• Native toThe western and central Mediterranean
• FoliageFinely divided, aromatic, felted silver-grey leaves on a dense low dome; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilRequires poor, dry, sharply drained soil and rots quickly in rich or wet ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in Mediterranean and semi-arid regions and dislikes prolonged humidity

Additional Features

• FlowersBright yellow button flowers on slender stalks through summer
• UsesLow edging, knot gardens, gravel beds, silver foliage massing and container planting
• SpacingPlant 0.5 to 0.6 metres apart for a continuous low band
• Low MaintenanceClip after flowering and cut back into young wood in spring; old plants go woody and are best replaced
• Pest ResistanceGenerally untroubled; root rot is the main risk and follows overwatering
• Drought ToleranceLong adapted to dry stony hillsides and needs almost no irrigation
• Salt ToleranceTolerates coastal wind and salt spray on free-draining seaside soils
• VersatilityUsed as clipped edging, informal silver massing and container filler

Cotton Lavender is the silver edging plant for dry, sharply drained ground, and the only real question is whether the site drains well enough.