Diosma hirsuta Pink Fountain

Diosma hirsuta Pink Fountain is a South African undershrub that is both dense and airy, particularly floriferous, ideal in climates with a mild winter and dry and hot summer. Although not very tall, it forms a beautiful ball of foliage covered with small white-pink flowers that turn pink, from the end of winter. Its small tender green foliage, reminiscent of heather, has a surprising fragrance when touched. It is a perfect plant for a dry rock garden, a gravel bed, or a seaside garden. Elsewhere, in a planter or pot, it will adorn the terrace or balcony during the summer and spend the winter sheltered from the cold.

Diosma hirsuta is a woody-based shrub plant from the Rutaceae family, just like lemon trees. It is native to the Cape region in South Africa, particularly the valleys and slopes of the Cederberg, on sandy soil. It should not be confused with Coleonema, a very similar genus that provides true shrubs exceeding 1.50m (4 ft 11 in) in height. Diosma has given rise to some beautiful cultivars with flowers ranging from white to red.

'Pink Fountain' is a particularly floriferous cultivar which forms a compact miniature bush with a dense and slightly spreading habit. It reaches about 40-50 cm (15.7-19.7 in) in height and 50-60 cm (19.7-23.6 in) in width, with slow growth. Its flexible and brown stems carry acidic green foliage on young shoots, darkening over time. The very slender leaves, measuring 7 to 10mm (0.3 to 0.4 in) long, are hairy and aromatic releasing a spicy fragrance when touched. They have no petioles and are arranged alternately and upright. The very long flowering period occurs from February to June-July, depending on the climate, and lasts about 4 months. The star-shaped, fragrant, and nectar-rich flowers do not exceed 7mm (0.3 in) in diameter, but they are countless. Each flower is composed of 5 petals and 5 stamens. Their white colour tinged with pink turns to light pink, then to bright pink, and even red towards the end. They are either solitary or grouped in terminal clusters and are followed by the formation of green, aromatic fruits containing 5 small black seeds.

Diosma Pink Fountain is a beautiful plant for poor soil, very useful for enhancing the landscape of a dry garden or a large rock garden, provided that winter temperatures do not drop below -5°C (23 °F) and the soil it grows in is well-drained. It can be associated with Mediterranean plants such as cistus, rosemary, lavender, thyme, or even teucrium in mild climates. It can also be planted in a small evergreen hedge, accompanied by an evergreen ceanothus ('Italian Skies', 'Concha', 'Puget Blue', 'Skylark'...), leptospermum, or red-flowered callistemons (Callistemon citrinus 'Splendens') and other South African plants with exotic charm. In most regions, it will make a beautiful plant for an unheated orangery or veranda, where it will form a fragrant and extremely decorative group with an orange tree, Boronia heterophylla, or mimosa.