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Santolina, pruning, care, uses

Santolina shrub in fall with seed pods

Santolina is a Mediterranean plant with interesting evergreen leafage.

Some Santolina facts

Name – Santolina
Family – Asteraceae
Type – shrub, sub-shrub

Height – 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 cm)
Exposure – sunny
Soil – ordinary

Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – June to August

Sometimes called cotton lavender, its blooming is worthwhile, too.

Planting santolina

Santolina be grown in rocky, dry soil that is poor and arid, and it can also be grown in pots, garden boxes or containers to decorate a patio, deck or balcony.

  • Plant preferably in fall, but planting in spring is also possible.
  • Select a very sunny spot.
  • Santolina tolerates part sun in warm climates.
  • Follow our tips on planting.

Pruning and caring for santolina

Santolina demands minimal care and maintenance, it is a plant that is very easy to grow.

You could thus not worry about it at all, but there are a few tips that can make it even nicer.

  • Prune just after the blooming or at the end of winter if the season is mild in your area.
  • Give it the round shape that is typically associated to santolina.
  • In a pot, you must water when the soil is completely dry deep down. Water sparingly.

All there is to know about santolina

Often used to landscape rocky ground, decorate edges or the sides of alleyways, santolina offers us beautiful summer blooming.

This sub-shrub is melliferous, particularly pleasing to bees, and it is easy to grow and only requires minimal care.

Its flower appears in summer and is humble but very interesting, especially if you want to prepare beautiful dried flower bouquets.

It has medicinal uses, too: oil produced from the plant is used as a de-worming agent, and the flower is drunk in the form of herbal tea for its stimulating properties.

Smart tip about santolina, cotton lavender

Santolina naturally repels clothing moths, it is quite effective if you prepare small bouquets, dry them, and then store them with your clothes in the drawers. In lavender wands, you use only the flower, but for santolina leaves and branches work well, too.

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Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois):
Santolina with seed pods by Rosalyn & Gaspard Lorthiois, own work