Gambelia Species, Island Bush Snapdragon, Showy Greenbright

San Rafael, CA. Part to full sun.

Gorgeous foliage year round, but doesn't bloom as much as I thought it would. I planted ...Read Moreone last june? in a brand new raised bed that everything else is thriving in. It is about 3' tall and wide, but I have trimmed it a few times. It only bloomed late summer and early fall. Hopefully this year it will have a longer bloom time. Deer love it, so a fence or spray is necessary.

Here in SS zone 24, USDA zone 10w, I have three plants growing around the yard.

In a mostly shaded spot (under a magnolia...Read More), in sandy loam, this plant grows slower, taller, and blooms much less than those in the sun. It gets hosed off every couple of weeks when it's hot but otherwise survives on what little winter rainfall we get here in So Cal. After two years it's about 3' high and a little less wide.

In an open sunny spot, exposed to hot winds, the plant is wider, lower, and blooms profusely in the spring and then enough to keep the hummers coming all summer. It grows in soil that is heavier in clay content, gets watered deeply only when it rains heavily, and otherwise is hosed off lightly every week or two during the summer. After two years it's probably just over 2' high and nearly 4' wide.

Both plants in the ground are top-dressed with compost every spring, and trimmed back a little twice a year just to clear out any scraggly branches, but otherwise are not fertilized, mulched, or fussed over.

In a large pot that is shaded only during the hottest part of the day, this plant is brighter green, blooms most prolifically of all and over a longer period of time. The soil is a fast-draining potting mix that is watered from the top once or twice a month until the moisture runs out the bottom of the pot. This one is heavily mulched and gets fed with a slow-release fertilizer every spring.

Easy to propagate from cuttings and the long flowering stems with bright red contrasting against the perfectly green foliage are great additions to arrangements.

I would highly recommend this plant to anyone who is looking for an undemanding, evergreen, versatile, hummingbird magnet.

I rated it neutral b/c I haven't grown it, but would like to. Here's info I've collected so far:
The width I gave the plant is mai...Read Morenly for the plant when it reaches maturity, but it's a spreading groundcover and I read reports that it has spread to up to 15'.
It's a native to CA, the Channel Islands, and it's habitat is rocky cliffs & canyons.
If grown near the coast, it likes full sun and can be drought tolerant, but inland it needs more shade and water.

It's considered endangered in some of it's native areas.