Wooly Bluecurls is an evergreen shrub native to coastal California with needle-like green leaves that are wooly underneath and fragrant cedar-like foliage. It blooms from May to August with fuzzy blue to pink flowers in dense spikes. The stamens extend well beyond the petals, making the flowers quite exotic and showy. Wooly Bluecurls is used in gardens as an attractive foliage and flowering plant that requires limited summer watering once established. It is an excellent habitat plant that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies with its nectar.

1. Wooly Bluecurls – Trichostema lanatum
(tri-KOS-te-ma la-NAY-tum)
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint Family)
Native to: Coastal areas, Coast and Transverse Ranges (San Gabriel Mtns) from Monterey Co. to
Baja; dry lower slopes in coastal scrub and chaparral. Range probably lower elevations in past.
Growth characteristics: woody sub-shrub/shrub mature height: 2-5+ ft. mature width: 3-8 ft.
Evergreen shrub with many branches ending in herbaceous tips (may be wand-like). Branches
downy-white. Leaves shiny green on top, wooly beneath, very narrow (needle-like). Foliage quite
reminiscent of Rosemary. Pungent fragrance (Cedar-like). Branches, foliage flowers all attractive.
Blooms May to Aug. in wild; into fall with limited summer water. Flowers fuzzy
blue to pink, in dense spikes. Stamens extred well beyond petals – quite exotic. Extremely showy
– one of our most attractive native shrubs.
Blooms/fruits:
Uses in the garden: Usually used as an accept plant for attractive foliage, aroma and flowers.
Lovely with CA Encelia, Dendromecon rigida, Solidago californica, Salvia mellifera and other native
requiring limited summer water. Fine on dry slopes.
Makes an excellent cut flower. Leaves can
be used for tea – a bit medicinal tasting (used medicinally by native Californians). Cultivares
include: ‘Cuesta Ridge’ (hardier), ‘Salmon Creek’, ‘Lion Den’, ‘Fremont Peak’ ‘Susanna Bixby Bryant’
(white flowers).
Sensible substitute for: Non-native blue-flowering shrubs.
Attracts: Excellent habitat plant. A real hummingbird magnet! Also attracts nectaring butterflies,
large bees.
Requirements:
Element
Sun
Soil
Water
Fertilizer
Requirement
Full sun
Very well-drained. Excess soil moisture will kill this plant.
Needs regular water to establish. No to extremely limited summer water once
established (once or twice a summer in most soils). Zone 1
None. Fertilizer will kill it. Needs very lean soil. Keep organic mulches away from
plant.
Other
Very difficult. Unless you have lean, well-drained soils you may need to replace it
regularly. Looks better with yearly pruning (in fall after flowering) to keep it bushy.
Management:
Propagation: from seed: difficult
by cuttings: easy from hardwood cuttings in fall
Plant/seed sources (see list for source numbers): 1, 3, 7-11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 24, 25
12/15/10
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