Pronounciation: Air-e-mo-FI-la hi-grow-FA-na

Hardiness zones
Sunset 8, 9, 14-24
USDA 8 (with protection), 9-11 (arid and semi arid regions only)

Landscape Use: Informal and somewhat small accent plant, attracts hummingbirds, xeric landscape design theme, extereme urban sites.

Form & Character: Relatively rounded, informal form, visually passive, recessive and non-threatening in the landscape, but with blue floral suprises.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, semi-woody, broadleaf perennial shrub, moderately slow to grow after transplanting into the landscape ultimately reaching about 3-feet tall with somewhat greater spread.

Foliage/Texture: Alternate arrangement, lanceolate, sessile, densely tomentose light gray leaves to 2 inches; medium fine texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Violet blue, axillary and tubular flowers on short curved peduncle which holds 1-inch long borne upright, profuse; fruit inconspicuous.

Seasonal Color: Flowers almost all year around.

Temperature: Hardy to 20^oF.

Light: Full sun

Soil: Extremely salt and alkaline tolerant, MUST have good soil drainage.

Watering: Somewhat drought tolerant needing occassional supplemental water during warmer to hot times of year.

Pruning: Rarely needs pruning, only occassional heading cuts to improve shape. PLEASE do not shear this precious shrub. Be an activists! Petition to ban all 'hort clods' with their power shears from imposing their destructive practices on this botanical wonder. In Phoenix, its growth rate and ultimate size are somewhat contingent on amounts of supplemental water (water less = grow less, smaller; water more = grow more, larger).

Propagation: Semi-hardwood cuttings root easily during late spring and early summer.

Disease and pests: None if properly cared for, but will easily die due to root rot if soils are kept chronically moist to wet.

Additional comments: In Phoenix, blue bells is an OUTSTANDING small subshrub. It makes a fine addition as a flowering accent shrub to most any xeric landscape settings in south central Arizona provided soils are well drained and not excessively irrigated. Blue bells works well with other local xeric landscape shrubs such as Calliandra californica or Eremophila 'Valentine'.