Teucrium fruticans Azureum - Tree Germander

The Teucrium fruticans 'Azureum' is one of the prettiest varieties of the arboreal germander, a bush of dry soil widely planted in Mediterranean gardens. Highly branched, forming a somewhat confused mass with its white stems overlapping, the bush presents a combination of silvery grey foliage and  deep blue flowers, of rare elegance. A spectacle all the more appreciated as it begins in winter in mild climates and lasts for several months. The other advantages of this germander lie in the persistence of its foliage in winter, its excellent pruning ability, and its perfect adaptation to long dry summers. Its only flaw is limited cold resistance, down to -8/-10°C (17.6/14°F) at the lowest.

The Teucrium fruticans is a bush in the Lamiaceae family, a close relative of sage, mint, and lavender. It is native to southern Spain, southern Portugal, and Morocco. This species grows naturally on the hillsides of the Mediterranean coast, where it is protected. In the wild, it can reach dimensions of 2m (6.6ft) in all directions. It is a plant that thrives in sunlight and poor soils, capable of withstanding brief frosts of around -12°C (10.4°F).

The cultivar 'Azureum' is distinguished by its much deeper blue flowers (the flowers of the wild species are rather pale blue-lilac and discreet), a more compact growth habit, and slightly lower hardiness (its young shoots are damaged at -6/-8°C (21/17°F)). The bush develops square-sectioned woody stems covered in white down, highly branched at right angles, overlapping to form a somewhat scruffy and disordered but overall rounded mass. At maturity, this 'Azureum' variety will reach about 1.20m (3.9ft) in all directions, up to 1.40m (4.6ft) in favourable climates, if not regularly pruned. The branches bear small oval evergreen leaves that have a slight aromatic scent when crushed. They are covered in a fine down, giving them a silvery grey-green colour that becomes even lighter in dry and warm conditions. The undersides of the leaves are very downy, almost white. Flowering, which lasts for at least 3 months, occurs from February-March to June in Mediterranean regions (sometimes as early as December), and from April to August further north. Small, lipped flowers measuring 1.5cm (0.6in) in length, veined in bluish-violet on a bright blue background, form at the axils of the leaves.

Tuecrium fruticans can be trimmed to a ball shape like boxwood and it can also be used as a formal or informal hedge, in shrub beds, as a standalone specimen, and even in containers on the terrace. It is a bush widely planted along the seashore as a windbreak. Easily recreate an authentic Mediterranean atmosphere by combining it with rockroses, rosemary, Westringia, myrtles, escallonias, oleanders...