A soft, rounded shrub covered in violet-blue flowers with yellow centers for much of the year, heaviest in spring and fall. It adds cool color to lush plantings and takes well to shaping.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub schedule in our Landscape Care guide. It is not a desert plant and needs regular water year-round here, more in summer. Good drainage keeps the roots healthy.
Pruning
It accepts heavy pruning and can be shaped into a mound, a small standard or trained on a trellis. It does not hold up well to tight, formal shearing. Do the main cutback in late winter, after the risk of frost.
Heat
It struggles once temperatures pass 110°F, and leaves can burn in full afternoon sun. Morning sun with afternoon shade keeps it looking its best through summer.
Cold
A hard frost can burn the tips or strip leaves. Wait until spring to trim the damage; it regrows quickly.
How our designers use it
Cool color
Its blue-violet flowers balance the yellows and oranges common in Phoenix gardens.
East-facing beds and patios
It does well where it gets morning sun and protection from the late-day heat.
Shaped accents
Trained as a small standard or in a large pot, it makes a tidy flowering accent near an entry.
Good to know
Berries
It is in the nightshade family, and its small berries are poisonous if eaten. Keep that in mind near play areas.
Around the pool
Spent flowers and an occasional leaf drop, but litter is light. Butterflies visit the blooms.
