Plant of the Month – September
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Turpentine Bush
Ericameria laricifolia- Plant Form: Evergreen shrub
- Water Use: Very low
- Mature Size: 2-3 ft. tall x 2-4 ft. wide
- Exposure: Full sun, part sun
- Bloom Time: Summer (August), Fall (Sept-Nov)
- Native to: Southeast California to Texas, northwest Mexico (between 3,000 – 7,000 feet)
- Hardiness: Cold Hardy to 0°F
Turpentine Bush provides both fall color and autumn pollen and nectar for butterflies and other pollinators. This drought-tolerant, native southwest shrub requires very little watering after established, and its aromatic foliage resists browsing by deer and rabbits.
Turpentine Bush is a dense evergreen shrub with bright green, needle-like leaves that smell like turpentine when crushed. Golden yellow flower clusters from late summer to fall turn this rather modest plant into a showstopper, attracting butterflies and other insect pollinators. Flower heads have many tiny, vase-like disc florets, but few to no ray florets (long petals around the outside of the flower). This aromatic plant requires minimal water once established, resists browsing by rabbits and deer, and takes reflected heat. It may become leggy in shade or if overwatered. Attractive as an accent or in mass plantings in borders, rock gardens, butterfly gardens, dry washes, medians, and wildlife gardens, and on slopes for erosion control. Turpentine Bush is native to the East Mojave & Sonoran Deserts. Its West Mojave cousin, Cooper’s Goldenbush (E. cooperi) looks very similar, but blooms in spring. Also try Linear-leaved Goldenbush (E. linearifolia) with long, showy, golden petals in spring.
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