Tree anemone is a flowering evergreen shrup from the Sierra Nevada foothills, grown for its glossy foliage, large scented white flowers and drought tolerance. It is the only species in its genus and does best in full sun with good drainage.
Family
Hydrangeaceae (Hydrangea family)
Grows as
Tree, Shrub
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply but infrequently once established, and keep it dry in summer.
Soil
Well-drained soil, including sandy or gravelly mixes; tolerates poor soil.
Temperature
Hardy to about -10 °C in sheltered sites; the cultivar 'Bodnant' is hardy to about -15 °C.
How easy
Easy
Native range
NC. & C. California
Climate
temperate
About
Carpenteria , the tree anemone or bush anemone, is a genus of flowering plants in the hydrangea family Hydrangeaceae. It is closely related to the similar genus Philadelphus and is monotypic, being represented by the single species Carpenteria californica which is a flowering evergreen shrub native to the Sierra Nevada foothills in California.
How to grow it
Carpenteria californica is cultivated as an ornamental plant, grown for its lush foliage, large scented flowers and drought tolerance. It is used in traditional and wildlife gardens in subtropical and temperate locations in the northern hemisphere. It is hardy down to −10 °C (14 °F) in sheltered locations in full sun.
It has been in cultivation since 1875, and is now much more common in gardens than in its natural habitat. It first flowered in England for the famed plantswoman Gertrude Jekyll at Godalming in 1885.
Where it grows
The bush anemone is a rare species, endemic to only seven sites in Fresno and Madera Counties, where it grows in chaparral and oak woodlands at 340–1,340 m (1,115–4,396 ft) altitude, between the San Joaquin River and Kings River. It is well adapted to wildfire, reproducing by stump sprouts after burning. Natural seedlings are rare.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Carpenteria by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.