Bush germander

Teucrium fruticans

Description

Bush germander is a reliable foliage and flowering accent plant. It develops into a large evergreen shrub, 4-8 ft. high, spreading 8-10 ft. across. Distinctive foliage is gray-green above with silvery white hairs beneath. Colorful pale lavender flowers are heaviest in winter to early spring and intermittently throughout the year.

Bush germander comes from rocky slopes in coastal foothill habitats across the western Mediterranean region, particularly Spain and North Africa. It is a hardy plant for all parts of the Inland Empire tolerant of heat, frost, wind and periods of drought. It can be clipped to make a hedge or planted in background areas to provide an informal screen. Its gray foliage character makes it well suited to contrast with darker green colors in the landscape. Cultivars include: T. f. ‘Azureum’ grows 4-6 ft. tall and has deeper purple-blue flowers; and T. f. ‘Compactum’ is a small plant to 3 ft. tall and as wide with dark blue flowers.

Plant Type: Shrub
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Dense, Upright, Spreading, Mounding
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Gray green
Flower Color: Lavender
Flower Season: Winter, Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Rocky soil
Exposure Adaptations: Wind, Heat, Frost, Drought, All day sun
Function: Slopes, Screening, Residential spaces, Parks and open space, Grouped, Foundations, Foliage accent plant, Flowering accent plant, Commercial spaces, Banks, Background plant, Attracts bees, Hedge
Height: 4 ft. – 8 ft.
Width: 8 ft. – 10 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 2

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 2 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another two weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
To save water, in many cases you can go longer in between waterings during the winter, often up to 3-4 weeks between watering for well-established plants. Two weeks after watering, check the soil approximately 4” below the surface. If it is still significantly moist, you can wait longer before watering again.
In most cases, if you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, you may use these features to save some water in in the fall and winter. If you are using automatic weather adjusting functions, continue to allow the timer to run every two weeks. It will adjust the number of minutes it runs to account for the cooler weather.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.