Lavender Cotton

Santolina

Lavender cotton, a rugged Mediterranean herb, is grown for its attractive silver foliage. The name is deceiving as the plant is neither lavender nor cotton. The plant can often be found growing in rock gardens and old-fashioned, formal knot gardens since it stands up well to frequent trimming. Although flowers are not its main feature, lavender cotton does bloom in midsummer with small, fuzzy, yellow blossoms.

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Light:

Sun

Type:

Perennial

Height:

1 to 3 feet

Width:

1 to 3 feet wide

Flower Color:

Yellow

Foliage Color:

Blue/Green, Gray/Silver

Seasonal Features:

Summer Bloom, Winter Interest

Problem Solvers:

Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant

Special Features:

Attracts Birds, Cut Flowers, Fragrance, Good for Containers, Low Maintenance

Zones:

6-11

Propagation

Seed

Stem Cuttings

garden plans for Lavender cotton

Formal Knot Garden Plan

Heirloom Garden Plan

Tough-as-Nails Perennial Garden Plan

Lavender Cotton Details

The silver foliage of lavender cotton makes an excellent backdrop for other flowers. The delicate toothed leaves of this plant have a pungent aroma that can be likened to a strong oregano or woody camphor scent. The pungent aroma repels rabbits and deer.

In midsummer, this shrubby plant can be topped with button-like yellow blossoms that some gardeners think detracts from the overall appeal. Lavender cotton may not even bloom in areas where it is lightly perennial. Another species of lavender cotton has bright, almost acid-green foliage with similar blossoms.

Lavender Cotton Care

When planting lavender cotton, consider its native Mediterranean climate where it prefers well-drained and gritty soil. It will not tolerate excessive moisture. This is especially important during wintertime as this plant does not like wet winters and is likely to die from rot. It also tends to prefer soil that is nutrient poor, as too rich of soil will make plants floppy and weak-wooded. Like many other Mediterranean plants, lavender cotton prefers alkaline versus acidic soil.

Lavender cotton grows best in full sun, which encourages the best color foliage and most compact habit. Although lavender cotton can tolerate part shade, plants will require more maintenance as part shade encourages floppiness and a more open, sprawling habit. Be sure to give lavender cotton as much sun as possible, as it flourishes in hot and dry summer weather. Areas with cool and humid weather can cause fungal problems.

One of the many reasons gardeners grow lavender cotton is its tolerance for repeated shearing, which makes it a great option for topiaries and hedges. Even when not growing in a formal garden, lavender cotton benefits from occasional trims to keep looking neat and healthy. Lavender cotton can be a fairly short-lived plant, so plan on replacing it about every 3-5 years. Luckily, it is easy to start from cuttings or by layering. Layering can be done by simply pulling down a low branch and slightly burying it with both ends exposed. After a few weeks, roots will develop; at this time you can remove this part from the main plant and plant the rooted cutting in a new area.

More Varieties of Lavender Cotton

Gray santolina

Santolina chaemacyparissus, also known as lavender cotton, is named for its soft, silvery-gray foliage that forms a mound up to 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The plant can be sheared to keep it more compact. It bears buttonlike yellow blooms in early summer. These can be sheared back after bloom to keep the plant tidy. Zones 6-11

Green santolina

This variety is also called green lavender cotton and formerly was classified as Santolina virens. The plant has fine-texture, fragrant medium-green foliage. In spring it bears buttonlike yellow flowers. It is a good choice for rock gardens and herbal knot gardens. Avoid overwatering it to prevent the stems from flopping open in midsummer. Zones 7-9

Plant Lavender Cotton With:

Salvia

There are few gardens that don't have at least one salvia growing in them. Whether you have sun or shade, a dry garden or lots of rainfall, there's an annual salvia that you'll find indispensable. All attract hummingbirds, especially the red ones, and are great picks for hot, dry sites where you want tons of color all season. Most salvias don't like cool weather, so plant them outdoors after all danger of frost has passed.

Coneflower

Purple coneflower is so easy to grow and attractive and draws so many birds and butterflies that you simply must grow it, if you have the room. Valued for its large sturdy daisylike flowers with dropping petals, this prairie native will spread easily in good soil and full sun. It is bothered by few pests or diseases. It's a great cut flower -- bring in armloads of it to brighten the house. And birds and butterflies love it. Allow it to spread so that you have at least a small stand of it. Let the flowers go to seed and the goldfinches will love you, coming to feast on the seeds daily. Butterflies and helpful bees also love purple coneflower.It used to be that rosy purple or white were the only choices in flower color. Recent hybrids have introduced yellow, orange, burgundy, cream, and shades in between.

Blanket flower

Blanket flowers are wonderfully cheerful, long-blooming plants for hot, sunny gardens. They produce single or double daisy flowers through most of the summer and well into fall. The light brick red ray flowers are tipped with yellow -- the colors of Mexican blankets.Blanket flowers tolerate light frost and are seldom eaten by deer. Deadhead the flowers to keep them blooming consistently through the summer and into fall. Some species tend to be short-lived, especially if the soil is not well drained.

Sedum

Sedums are nearly the perfect plants. They look good from the moment they emerge from the soil in spring and continue to look fresh and fabulous all growing season long. Many are attractive even in winter when their foliage dies and is left standing. They're also drought-tolerant and need very little if any care. They're favorites of butterflies and useful bees. The tall types are outstanding for cutting and drying. Does it get better than that? Only in the fact that there are many different types of this wonderful plant, from tall types that will top 2 feet to low-growing groundcovers that form mats. All thrive in full sun with good drainage. Ground cover types do a good job of suppressing weeds, but seldom tolerate foot traffic. Some of the smaller ones are best grown in pots or treated as houseplants.

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