Photo credit: ©Kip Evans
This is a most magnificent evergreen. It can be a widely branching shrub standing two feet tall or a small tree stretching out to over twenty feet. Three prominent nearly parallel veins mark its dark green elliptical to oval leaves which complement the stunning perfumed blossoms. Eye-catching dense clusters of tiny flowers varying in color from very light to dark blue grace this plant. Widely used as an ornamental landscape plant, it has been given special recognition by the Royal Horticultural Society of England.
It is especially important for both native bees and butterflies. Many birds enjoy its seeds; hummingbirds “savor” its nectar. This plant is native to California and southern Oregon. It is drought tolerant, preferring well-drained soils near the coast. While Native Americans utilized the plant as a dye and food, their use of its fresh or dried flowers as a gentle soap is more widely known.