Santolina

Somewhat unspectacular plants, but very good shrubs to have in a Mediterranean garden.

Santolina chamaecyparissus

An evergreen Mediterranean shrub, growing to 50 x 80 cm. The very aromatic, grey-green leaves have a scent reminiscent of Chamaemelum nobile. The round yellow flower heads appear in May-June.

Santolina chamaecyparissus has been a feature of Mediterranean herb gardens since Medieval times, where it’s been used as small hedging plant and as an herb for pain relief, against inflammation, cramps, and as an antiseptic/antimicrobial. In the garden it helps to keep down weeds in its immediate vicinity due to its allelopathic effect.

Santolina chamaecyparissus likes full sun and poor, sandy or stony, well-draining soil. It is very drought tolerant (code secheresse 5) and frost hardy down to -12 à -15 °C.

I have planted them in the garden proper where some of them tend to fall apart from the middle. I have also planted some on the steep embankment and am waiting to see if they will survive those extreme conditions.

Santolina viridis

A native of Spain, France and other Western European countries as well as Ukraine and the North Caucasus, this is also an aromatic and evergreen shrub, growing up to 70 cm. Its leaves are bright green and aromatic with a taste like marinated olives, wonderful as seasoning for salads and other dishes.

Flowers are ivory yellow and appear in June. Santolina viridis it is also very drought tolerant (code secheresse 4) and frost hardy down to -18 °C. It likes the same full sun and poor, sandy or stony, well-draining soil.

Mine has never had more than one or two flowers and this summer it has died suddenly. Did it get too much water, growing on the side of the vegetable bed? Did I step on it once too often while putting up the shading nets? No idea. Maybe it will come back from the root in the fall.