A drought-tolerant range
Out of respect for the environment and the pressing need to manage water resources, over the past few years we have developed a dedicated range of drought-tolerant, easy-care plants.
CALLISTEMONS laevis
Bottlebrush
These shrubs are known as "bottlebrushes" because of their brush-shaped flower spikes. This Callistemon has the longest flowering season of all, blooming in successive flushes. Its unusual bright red flowers give it plenty of character.
Soil: light, sandy
Flowering period: summer
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance:
- red, white, pink
- glaucous green, evergreen
- rounded, globular
- H:2.50 W:2.00
- -5°C
- full sun
CAREX comans Bronze
A cheerfully shaggy, arching bronze clump
A compact, dense grass with thread-like, bronze, curling leaves.
Soil: dry or damp
Flowering period:
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: prune in late winter if necessary
- bronze
- clump
- H:0.50 W:0.50
- -10°C
- full sun
CERCIS siliquastrum
Judas tree
The Judas tree is sought after for its superb flowering in April. Before the leaves appear, it is literally covered with thousands of small, unusual flowers.
Soil: dry
Flowering period: April
Foliage: deciduous
Maintenance: prune after flowering
- mauve, pink, white
- glaucous green
- tree-like
- H:4.00 W:3.00
- -15°C
- full sun
CISTUS
Silky and colourful!
A species that mostly grows around the Mediterranean, it loves dry (usually siliceous but also chalky) sunny soils. It is also pyrophytic, regenerating easily and even spreading after fires.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: spring
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: prune after flowering
- white, pink, red
- green
- ball-shaped
- H:1.50 W:1.00
- -10°C
- full sun
CONVOLVULUS cneorum
Shrubby bindweed
A bushy, dense, rounded shrub. From late spring to late summer it bears white flowers with yellow centres, opening from pink buds. Evergreen leaves that are silvery, narrow and silky.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: late spring to late summer
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: moderate in winter
- white
- silvery grey
- ball-shaped
- H:2.00 W:2.00
- -20°C
- full sun
CORONILLA emerus
Summer fragrance
A compact shrub with leaves made up of many leaflets, bearing pale yellow flowers marked with reddish brown, followed by seed pods. Of interest for its light foliage.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: May to October
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: prune in winter if necessary
- pale yellow
- green moderate
- ball-shaped
- H:2.00 W:2.00
- -20°C
- full sun
ELAEAGNUS ebbingei Compacta
Compact and well branched
A vigorous, fast-growing shrub with leathery evergreen dark green leaves, grey underneath, and small, highly fragrant white flowers in autumn.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: autumn
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: prune in winter if necessary
- white
- grey-green
- bushy
- H:2.50 W:3.00
- -15°C
- full sun to partial shade
ERIOBOTRYA japonica
Originality guaranteed
Like all orangery plants, the loquat should be grown in a container or in a sheltered spot in a mild-climate garden. Its long, glossy green evergreen leaves, its autumn flowers and its spring fruit make it particularly appealing in a garden. Note that its fragrant flowers are frost-sensitive and will not tolerate temperatures below -3°C. Take care: the juicy, tangy fruits must be picked ripe to be edible.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: late winter to early spring
Foliage: evergreen
- cream
- green
- tree-like
- H:4.00 W:4.00
- -05°C
- full sun
EUPHORBIA
Guaranteed to surprise
Euphorbia characias is surely one of the most surprising species, with its green flower heads. Its vigorous stems are upright and clothed in elongated blue-green leaves. Flowering takes place from March to June, in large cylindrical yellow-green heads bearing brown nectar glands.
Soil: any soil
Flowering period: late winter to early spring
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: cut the flower heads back to the base in late autumn
- green/red/yellow
- shrubby
- H:1.00 W:1.50
- -15°C
- full sun to partial shade
FESTUCA glauca
Blue spikes
A perennial grass forming a clump. Narrow leaves, tinted in various shades from blue-green to silvery white. "Bearded" blue-green spikelets, tinged with violet.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: June to July
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: remove dried-out stems and leaves
- cream
- bluish
- clump
- H:0.20 W:0.50
- -20°C
- full sun
FREMONTODENDRON
Pacific Sunset
A touch of California
A vigorous shrub with evergreen leaves and a long season of pretty, deep yellow, cup-shaped flowers. To be trained against a sunny, sheltered wall.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: May to November
Foliage: semi-evergreen
Maintenance: prune in late winter; wear gloves
- golden yellow
- green
- shrubby
- H:6.00 W:3.00
- -15°C
- full sun
GREVILLEA Desert Flame
A little piece of Australia
A superb variety bearing orange-yellow flowers in winter and spring. A highly unusual plant that brings an exotic touch to our gardens.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: winter and spring
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: no pruning needed; nitrogen is unnecessary and even harmful
- yellow/orange
- green needles
- H:2.00 W:1.50
- -08°C
- full sun to partial shade
GREVILLEA juniperina
A little piece of Australia
A superb variety bearing red flowers in winter and spring. A highly unusual plant that brings an exotic touch to our gardens.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: winter and spring
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: no pruning needed; nitrogen is unnecessary and even harmful
- red
- pale green needles
- shrubby
- H:1.50 W:1.50
- -10°C
- full sun
GREVILLEA lanigera
Mount Tomboritha
A splendid carpet of pink flowers
Native to the alpine zones of New Zealand, it is represented here in its creeping form.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: winter and spring
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: no pruning needed; nitrogen is unnecessary and even harmful
- pink
- green needles
- creeping
- H:0.50 W:1.00
- -08°C
- full sun to partial shade
GREVILLEA rosmarinifolia
Rosemary-leaved grevillea
An Australian shrub with dense evergreen foliage, valued for its long season of carmine-red flowers and its relative hardiness. It is silky to the touch, unlike Grevillea juniperina.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: spring
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: no pruning needed; nitrogen is unnecessary and even harmful
- carmine red
- grey-green
- shrubby
- H:1.50 W:2.00
- -10°C
- full sun to partial shade
HELICHRYSUM italicum
Curry plant, with its gentle curry scent
A compact subshrub 40 to 50 cm tall, with very decorative and above all very aromatic silvery grey leaves: they give off a remarkable smell of curry.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: May to June
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: prune after each flowering
- yellow
- woolly grey
- ball-shaped
- H:0.50 W:1.00
- -15°C
- full sun
LAVANDULA
intermedia x Grosso
Lavandin
A Mediterranean subshrub, also known as lavandin, with evergreen and highly fragrant foliage.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: summer
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: prune after each flowering to keep the plant compact
- deep violet-blue
- grey-green
- ball-shaped
- H:0.50 W:1.00
- -15°C
- full sun
LAVANDULA Stoechas
French lavender
A compact lavender with grey-green leaves and violet-blue flowers topped by two deep lilac bracts.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: April-May, then again in autumn
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: remove all faded flowers, plus 30% of the stem height, after each flowering
- Blue-purple
- grey-green
- shrubby
- H:0.80 W:1.00
- -15°C
- full sun
LIGUSTRUM texanum
Texas privet
A pretty shrub with fragrant white flowers in late spring, followed by blue-tinged berries in autumn.
Soil: dry
Flowering period: spring
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance:
- white
- glossy green
- shrubby
- H:2.50 W:2.00
- -10°C
- full sun to partial shade
LIRIOPE muscari Majestic
A carpet of flowers
All summer and into autumn, this woodland perennial produces dense spikes of bright mauve-purple flowers.
Soil: dry to moist
Flowering period: July to October
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance:
- purple
- green
- perennial
- H:0.30 W:0.45
- -20°C
- full sun to partial shade
MYRTUS communis Tarentina
Unusual and tasty
A small shrub with dense evergreen foliage reminiscent of box, but very pleasantly aromatic. Numerous small white flowers appear in succession through the summer.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: late spring to early summer
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: formative pruning only
- white
- green
- shrubby
- H:1.50 W:2.00
- -10°C
- full sun
PENNISETUM alopecurioides
Little Bunny
Pennisetum nain
This dwarf variety has narrow, glaucous leaves gathered into an upright perennial clump. Its flowers form very compact, decorative beige cylindrical spikes.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: late summer, early autumn
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance:
- beige/white
- green
- clump
- H:0.30 W:0.15
- -20°C
- full sun
PEROVSKIA atriplicifolia Blue Spire
Russian sage
An upright subshrub with grey-white stems. From late summer to mid-autumn, abundant panicles of lavender-blue flowers above deeply cut, aromatic grey-green foliage.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: late spring to early summer
Foliage: deciduous
Maintenance: cut back hard in winter
- lavender blue
- green/grey silver
- clump
- H:1.50 W:1.00
- -20°C
- full sun
PHLOMIS fruticosa
Jerusalem sage
A rounded shrub with upright stems. Its leaves, grey-green and woolly underneath, resemble those of sage. Its whorls of flowers are a deep golden yellow.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: late spring to early summer
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance:
- yellow
- grey/green
- ground cover
- H:1.00 W:1.50
- -10°C
- full sun
PUNICA granatum
Pomegranate
The pomegranate is a rounded shrub with striking bright red funnel-shaped flowers, followed by large spherical edible fruits. Its leaves are glossy bright green, coppery or veined with red when young.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: late spring to early summer
Foliage: deciduous
Maintenance: prune after flowering if necessary
- red/yellow orange
- green/red
- shrubby
- H:5.00 W:5.00
- -10°C
- full sun
ROSMARINUS officinalis
Compact rosemary
A dense, bushy shrub with narrow, aromatic leaves. Small flowers, from violet-blue to blue, in late spring and sometimes again in autumn.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: February to April
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: remove any stems that spoil the plant's shape
- blue light
- green
- ball-shaped
- H:1.50 W:1.00
- -15°C
- full sun
SANTOLINA chamaecyparissus
Cotton lavender
A branching, bushy subshrub. The stems are covered with small, narrow, toothed, whitish leaves clothed in silvery down. In summer it bears heads of small golden-yellow flowers.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: July to August
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: prune before or during winter
- yellow gold
- grey/green
- ball-shaped
- H:0.50 W:1.00
- -10°C
- full sun
SENECIO greyi
Beautiful contrast
A dense shrub whose young leaves are white and covered with hairs, later turning dark green. Heads of yellow flowers. For coastal areas.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: July to August
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: prune after flowering to keep a compact habit
- yellow
- silvery grey
- shrubby
- H:1.50 W:2.50
- -10°C
- full sun
SPARTIUM junceum
Spanish broom
A fragrant shrub with supple stems, resembling a broom and producing yellow pea-like flowers all summer. It enjoys sun and dry, chalky soils.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: July to August
Foliage: deciduous
Maintenance: prune after flowering to keep a compact habit
- yellow
- dark green
- shrubby
- H:3.00 W:3.00
- -10°C
- full sun
TEUCRIUM fruticans
Shrubby germander
A handsome shrub with spreading, woolly branches. Evergreen oval leaves, grey-green above and whitish-felted underneath. Clusters of mauve flowers.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: June to July
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: in March/April cut back all the branches, leaving 2 or 3 buds at the base
- Pale blue
- grey/green
- shrubby
- H:1.00 W:4.00
- -10°C
- full sun
TULBAGHIA violacea
Unusual and tasty
From summer to autumn, Tulbaghia produces large terminal umbels made up of small, fragrant lilac flowers.
Soil: dry to moist
Flowering period: July to October
Foliage: deciduous
Maintenance:
- purple
- green
- bulb
- H:0.50 W:0.25
- -15°C
- full sun to partial shade
YUCCA aloifolia
Purple tint
Yucca aloifolia is a perennial that stands out for its rosettes of hard, sword-shaped leaves and its clusters of white or cream flowers.
Soil: dry to very dry
Flowering period: summer
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: remove spent flower heads at the base
- white/purple
- green
- shrubby
- H:2.00 W:1.00
- -15°C
- full sun
YUCCA filamentosa
An exotic fragrance
Narrow leaves 40 to 60 cm long, in an upright rosette, glaucous, with filaments along the edges. A vertical stem forms a panicle of white flowers washed with pale green. Superb, highly fragrant flowering all summer. Very hardy, down to -25°C.
Soil: dry
Flowering period: July to August
Foliage: evergreen
Maintenance: remove spent flower heads at the base
- white
- green
- shrubby
- H:2.00 W:1.50
- -20°C
- full sun