Category Archives: Families

Santolina chamaecyparissus, cotton lavender

Family: Asteraceae

Description:

Slightly disorganized mounds of gray foliage sport a profusion of yellow composite flowers. The characteristic disk-shaped flowers do not have any rays and are irregular in size. This evergreen sub-shrub remains relatively low to the ground, not exceeding 50 cm. Foliage is aromatic

Growing conditions:

Santolina chamaecyparissus is best grown in dry, well-drained soil in a sunny location.

Suitable uses:

This mounding shrub is useful as an evergreen ground layer. Planting on a slope can both aid with drainage and prevent the mounding form from splitting. Planted with other mounding shrubs, such as hebes, can provide a nice formal echo. Alternatively, Santolina chamaecyparissus can be used for hedging, though this will inhibit summer floral displays.

           CC Image courtesy              jimmy thomas on Flickr

             CC Image courtesy of                   Andrey Zharkikh on Flickr

Centaurea cyanus,corn flower

Family: Asteraceae

Description:

Azure blue flowers sit atop grey-green branched stems. Delicate, fan shaped petals extend from a cluster of central filaments. Bracts have a pronounced black edge. This species is known to grow within fields of wheat, flour or oats. As a hardy annual, Centearuea cyanus will die within one season, but will typically self-seed and re-sprout the following year. Flowering season lasts throughout the summer.

Growing conditions:

This plant prefers dry sunny locations and will not tolerate wet sites.

Suitable uses:

Centaurea cyanus works well in a wildflower mixture and can compete fairly well with grasses. In dryer climates it is known to be weedy, but is not a problem in the Vancouver area. The beautiful inflorescence contrasts nicely with orange.

CC Image courtesy of Björn S… on Flickr

     CC Image courtesy of         Sebastian Rittau on Flickr