Description:

A fast growing shrub or small tree featuring smooth, dark gray branches with attractive silver blue foliage; clusters of fragrant, bright yellow flowers in spring; tolerates hard frosts; an excellent water conservation shrub for borders

Ornamental Features

Blue Bush features showy clusters of fragrant yellow ball-shaped flowers along the branches from late winter to early spring. It has attractive silvery blue evergreen foliage. The narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain silvery blue throughout the winter. The smooth dark gray bark and silver branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Bush is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Blue Bush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening

Planting & Growing

Blue Bush will grow to be about 18 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.