Cotton lavender
Santolina chamaecyparissus
A tidy silver-leaved edging shrub that repels pests and shrugs off drought and poor soil. It goes woody fast, so shear it yearly and never cut into bare old wood.
Cotton lavender in a syntropic line
Cotton lavender belongs in the Ground cover layer as a Secondary productive species. Aim for 2–4 species for resilient, continuous cover. Rough in-row spacing starts around 0.3 m in a syntropic row. Good line partners include Bladder senna, Casuarina. As a Secondary species it carries mid-term yield and structure while climax trees slowly claim the canopy.
Tolerances and growing conditions
- Strata
- Ground cover
- Lifecycle
- Secondary
- Soil preference
- Sandy, Rocky
- Soil pH range
- 6 – 8.5
- Min. temperature
- -12°C
- Min. rainfall
- 300 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- High
- Frost tolerance
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Irrigation needed
- Low
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Waterlogging tolerance
- Low
- Origin
- Mediterranean
- Native to Portugal
- No
How to manage it
Silver aromatic pest-repellent edging plant for hot dry sites; shear lightly after flowering to keep it compact.
How to propagate
Take softwood cuttings in summer or divide established clumps; both root fast.
Guidance, not a guarantee — success varies by species and skill.
What to watch out for
Goes woody and gappy with age; never cut back into bare old wood as it won't resprout. Mildly toxic if ingested in quantity - keep away from livestock.
Frequently asked questions about Cotton lavender
Is cotton lavender frost-hardy?
Yes for winter cold in many climates — generally hardy to around -12°C when dormant, with medium frost tolerance in the catalog. Flowering crops can still lose a season to late frost, so site them carefully.
What soil does cotton lavender need?
It does best on sandy, rocky ground, at pH about 6–8.5.
How much water does cotton lavender need?
Plan for a rainfall floor around 300 mm/year, plus low irrigation once established.
Can cotton lavender handle wet or waterlogged soil?
Poorly — cotton lavender has low waterlogging tolerance, so keep it off winter-wet clay and standing water.
What should I watch out for with cotton lavender?
Goes woody and gappy with age; never cut back into bare old wood as it won't resprout. Mildly toxic if ingested in quantity - keep away from livestock.
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