Santolina viridis
Green lavender cotton
Common names: Green santolina
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 40 cm, rows 40 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Sowing
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Jun–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −12 °C
- Water need
- Low
Photo: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
Green santolina is an evergreen, cushion-forming perennial whose finely feathery leaves emit a surprising olive scent when crushed, with hints of cheese and herbs. Freshly chopped, it seasons fish, salads, and roasted vegetables. In summer, yellow button-like flowers attract bees. It thrives in dry, lean soils and is remarkably winter-hardy in sheltered positions.
Care instructions
Sow or plant from May (week 19) in a full-sun spot with well-draining, calcareous, and relatively poor soil; it does not tolerate waterlogged conditions. Water only during prolonged dry spells. After flowering (August, week 33), cut back heavily to keep the plant compact and bushy and prevent it from becoming lanky from below. In harsh locations, a light mulch of straw can provide winter protection.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May
HarvestJun–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 12 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 28 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, well-drained, lean, lime-loving
Green santolina wants a very well-drained, sandy-gravelly and lean soil with few nutrients. Heavy loam or peaty soil is unsuitable; in dense soil, mix in plenty of sand or fine gravel so water can drain away; waterlogging quickly leads to root rot. The plant tolerates lime-rich soils particularly well; avoid acidic substrates.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
Feed only sparingly: in spring at bud break, work a thin layer of mature compost shallowly around the plant; that is enough for the whole year. More than one dose does more harm than good, because too much nitrogen drives soft growth and weakens frost hardiness and aroma. In lean bed soil you often need no feeding at all.
Overwintering
Green santolina is only moderately hardy. More dangerous than frost is winter wet, so provide very well-drained, sandy soil and a sunny, sheltered spot, and cover the root zone with brushwood or fir branches in lasting frost. In a container, bring the plant in somewhere bright, cool and frost-free, or place it against a sheltered south-facing wall on wood or polystyrene; cut it back only in spring, once new growth is visible.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- From seed
- Division
- Layering
The most reliable way to propagate green santolina is from cuttings: in spring or early summer, cut shoots 15 to 20 cm long that are not yet fully woody and remove the leaves from the lower half. Insert five cuttings together into a mix of sand and lean soil, keep the substrate evenly moist (no waterlogging) and put the pot somewhere bright and warm (about 20 to 22 °C). Since green santolina roots rather slowly, give the cuttings two to three weeks; once roots have formed, move each cutting into its own pot and gradually get it used to the outdoors.
For sowing, soak the seeds in lukewarm water for a day and then press them only lightly onto moist, sandy, lean substrate from February to April. Green santolina germinates in light and must not be covered with soil. It is also a cold-stratification seed: first put the tray somewhere cool (about 4 to 7 °C) for one to two weeks before placing it somewhere bright at around 20 °C to germinate. Young plants go outdoors from mid-May.
In spring you can dig up strong, older plants and divide the root ball with a sharp spade or knife; each piece should have at least one well-developed shoot with its own roots. Division is rarely worthwhile, though, as the plant can stay in the same spot for many years.
Layering is particularly well suited, because green santolina naturally forms prostrate shoots that root by themselves where they touch the ground. Weigh down a long side shoot with a little soil or a stone as soon as it touches the soil surface. When the new shoot is about 10 cm tall and has formed roots of its own, separate it from the mother plant and replant it.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Green lavender cotton yourself
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