This small evergreen woody shrub grows naturally into a neat bun shape, from mid summer onwards the plant is covered in small, perfectly formed button shaped flowers of bright yellow held on wiry stems.

This is a useful shrub for a dry sunny position either among other sun ,loving shrubs in beds and borders, as alarger swathe of ground cover or as an effective low informal flowering hedge. (This little shrub may also be kept more formal with regular trimming to accentiate the fresh grey foliage but sacrificing the flowers).

Plant Santolina in free draining soil in full sun, they rarely suffer from pests and diseases and are very drought tolerant. Little maintenance is required other than a trim to tidy them up and encourage new growth for next year, best carried out in late summer when the flowers have finished.

How to grow Santolina chamaecyparissus

Position: Full sun.
Foliage: Evergreen, leaves are retained all year.
Soil and site: Any well drained soil.
Flowering time: July onwards.
Growth rate: moderate
Ultimate height and spread: 50cm high x 100cm wide.
Hardiness: Fully hardy.
Aftercare: Water regularly after planting and for the first season, trim after flowering in late summer, hedges should be cut back hard to the framework of branches.