Jamesia americana

Still not widespread in our gardens, Jamesia americana is a lovely little deciduous bush, native to the mountains of the western United States. It has a sprawling and bushy habit. It is endowed with beautiful grey-green velvety foliage, reddening in autumn. In spring, it produces an abundance of delicately fragranced pretty white flowers, in small erect terminal panicles. Remarkably hardy, it is ideal for an alpine rockery.

Jamesia americana, belonging to the Hydrangeaceae family, is native to the western United States, where it grows on mountainous and rocky slopes, between 1600 and 3000m (5249 and 9843ft) in altitude. It forms a small deciduous bush 1 to 2.5m (3 to 8ft) high and 2m (7ft) wide, with a bushy and sprawling silhouette. Its thin grey bark peels off revealing its reddish-brown to orange-brown trunk. Its grey-green ovate leaves are velvety and dentate, measuring from 5 to 7cm (2 to 3in) long. The leaves can redden in autumn. From May to June, it produces pink floral buds. The white, starry, slightly fragrant 5-petal flowers are 0.5 to 1cm (0.2 to 0.4in) in diameter, gathered in small erect terminal dense panicles, 3 to 6cm (1 to 2in) long. The flowers give way to fruits in the form of fluffy capsules containing numerous seeds, reaching ripeness at the beginning of autumn, and persisting on the bush all winter.

The name Jamesia was given in honour of the famous botanist, geographer and geologist Edwin James (1797-1861) who discovered, during explorations in the American west, numerous species of alpine flora, notably the blue columbine, Aquilegia caerulea, which became the emblematic flower of the state of Colorado.

Easy to grow, this little mountain bush is extremely resistant to cold and will tolerate frost. It enjoys sunny, warm and sheltered exposures. It tolerates soils rich in limestone. Jamesia americana is perfect in an alpine rockery, alongside other compact plants, such as columbines, pulsatillas, mountain cornflowers, summer asters or alpine blue thistles. It will also be perfectly capable of growing on a slope, with ground-cover bushes, like dwarf juniper, false cypress, or even a Canadian thuya. In a temperate climate, it will prefer partial shade and moist soil. It can be planted alone, or integrated into a shrub or perennial plant bed, with dwarf rhododendrons, deutzia, and daphne.