Family Asteraceae
Originating from the Mediterranean.
- Brilliant lime-green to yellow evergreen foliage forms soft, aromatic mounds.
- Bright yellow pom-pom flowers bloom all summer, creating a vibrant haze.
- Thrives in poor, well-drained soil, full sun, ideal for Mediterranean gardens.
Cotton Lavender’s brilliant lime-green foliage and soft lemon-yellow flowers evoke a Mediterranean glow. Its evergreen mounds, aromatic and cypress-like, bloom with pom-pom flowers all summer, casting a hot coloured haze. This RHS Award-winning shrub, reaching 50cm high, infuses patios with a therapeutic scent, drawing pollinators to borders or pots with its intense, sunlit charm.
Versatile for any garden, ‘Lemon Fizz’ suits traditional English borders, contemporary patios, or coastal Norfolk and Suffolk plots. Its low, 75cm-wide mounds form informal hedges or detailed spectacles among taller plants. Easy to grow and drought-tolerant, this shrub thrives in pots or gravel beds, blending Mediterranean flair with year-round texture.
Care Tips for the Cotton Lavender
- Soil and Sun: Prefers poor, well-drained soil; full sun for brightest foliage and most profuse blooming.
- Planting: Plant in spring; ensure sharp drainage. Ideal for pots, borders, or low hedges.
- Watering: Water regularly during its first season; drought-tolerant once established, avoid waterlogging.
- Pruning: Trim after flowering to maintain shape; avoid hard pruning.
‘Lemon Fizz’ aromatic, evergreen foliage, soft organic form, and cloud-like haze of flowers adds a unique form, indispensable for any sunbaked UK garden. Its therapeutic scent and RHS-endorsed charm make it a low-maintenance star for coastal borders, contemporary patio displays, or traditional beds, delivering vibrant colour and pollinator-friendly appeal.
Planting Suggestions for Santolina rosmarinifolia ‘Lemon Fizz’
Create a molten mass of mound-forming species, a flowing riot of hot colour swirling around taller plants. Add Coreopsis ‘Ladybird’, Potentilla ‘Red Ace’ and ‘Bella Sol’, and Rudbeckia ‘Little Henry’ to the Cotton Lavender’s heat. Let them make a blaze around Yucca rostrata, Cordyline ‘Jive’, and Echium wildpretii.
Alternatively, set the brilliant yellow and lime-green of this variety against dark-leaved evergreen plants for contrast. Allow it to shine between structural shrubs at repeated intervals, making a cool contemporary composition. Plant Pittosporum ‘Gold Star’, Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’, ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Bannow Bay’, and Ligustrum ‘Rotundifolium’ around it. These varieties complement its rounded form whilst allowing its colours to take centre stage.
