{"product_id":"teucrium-fruticans-silver-bush-germander","title":"Teucrium fruticans – Silver Bush Germander","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTeucrium fruticans\u003c\/em\u003e is the Silver Bush Germander, a Mediterranean evergreen grown for foliage colour above all else. The leaves are small and aromatic with a white felted underside, carried on square stems that are felted white to match, so the whole shrub reads silver from across a garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMauve-blue flowers appear along the arching stems through spring and into summer, with the odd flush at other times in mild districts. They are a bonus. The reason to plant it is the colour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt grows to around 0.75 to 1.2 metres tall and spreads to roughly 1.8 metres, with a naturally loose arching habit that tightens considerably with a light trim after flowering. Left alone it makes an informal silver mound. Clipped, it holds a low hedge or a formal shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFull sun and sharp drainage are the two requirements. Given those it is drought tolerant once established, handles coastal exposure and inland heat, tolerates light frost and copes with poor, sandy or limestone soil. Wet feet is the one thing it will not take.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin:44px 0 16px;\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:14px;font-weight:500;letter-spacing:1.5px;margin:0 0 8px;padding-top:32px;border-top:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);text-transform:uppercase;color:currentColor;\"\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 24px;color:currentColor;opacity:0.65;font-size:14px;font-style:italic;\"\u003eAbout Teucrium fruticans\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eWhat is Teucrium fruticans?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eAn evergreen Mediterranean shrub in the mint family, Lamiaceae, commonly called Silver Bush Germander or Tree Germander. It is grown for aromatic blue-grey foliage with white felted undersides and stems, and mauve-blue flowers through spring and summer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eHow big does it grow?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eAround 0.75 to 1.2 metres tall and up to 1.8 metres wide. The habit is loose and arching by nature, so a light trim after flowering keeps it compact rather than sprawling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eWhat is the difference between this and the Teucrium ball?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eSame plant, different training. This is the natural bush form, supplied unshaped, for hedging, borders, mass planting or an informal silver mound. The ball is the same species grown on and clipped over several seasons into a formal sphere, and arrives as a finished piece. Buy the bush form if you want a shrub or a hedge, the ball if you want instant formal structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eCan I use it as a low hedge?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eYes, and it is one of the better silver options for one. Plant 60 to 80 centimetres apart and trim twice a year. It responds well to clipping and reshoots from the frame, so it holds a line without going woody and bare at the base the way some grey-foliage shrubs do.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eWhen does it flower?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eMauve-blue flowers appear through spring into summer along the arching stems, with occasional flushes at other times in mild climates. Trim straight after the main flush to keep it tight without costing the next display.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eIs it suitable for pots?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eYes. It is compact, tolerates drying out between waterings and the silver foliage lifts a dark pot. Use a free-draining premium potting mix and never leave the pot standing in water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eIs it drought and frost tolerant?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eDrought tolerant once established, and it handles inland heat well. Frost tolerance is more limited, at light frosts only, so give it a sheltered position in colder inland districts. It is reliably coastal tolerant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-bottom:1px solid rgba(128,128,128,0.25);padding:18px 0;\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"font-weight:500;cursor:pointer;line-height:1.4;padding-right:12px;font-size:16px;color:currentColor;\"\u003eWhat soil does it need?\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cp style=\"margin:14px 0 0;line-height:1.7;color:currentColor;opacity:0.85;\"\u003eAlmost any, including poor, sandy and limestone ground, provided drainage is excellent. Wet feet is what kills it. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound or work gypsum and coarse compost through the profile first.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Evergreen Trees Direct","offers":[{"title":"30cm\/33cm","offer_id":47207790936263,"sku":"TEUFRU30CM\/33CM","price":170.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/4945\/4279\/files\/Teucreumfruticans30cm.png?v=1789705453","url":"https:\/\/www.evergreentrees.com.au\/products\/teucrium-fruticans-silver-bush-germander","provider":"Evergreen Trees Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}