Plant Library

Other Names:  syn. Baccharis tricuneata

Description:

An evergreen, ground hugging shrub featuring tiny, bright green, glossy foliage on a low mat of spreading branches; tiny cream colored flowers dot the plant in late winter to spring; tolerant of wind, drought, and seaside conditions

Ornamental Features

Christmas Bush is bathed in stunning clusters of lightly-scented creamy white button flowers with white overtones at the ends of the branches from late winter to mid spring. It has attractive green evergreen foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The tiny glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Christmas Bush is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and may require the occasional pruning to look its best. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Christmas Bush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Christmas Bush will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Christmas Bush makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.