Other Names:  Silver-leaved Water Tree

Description:

A large shrub or small tree with a rough barked main stem; silky gray, upright arching branches, clothed in narrow, silvery-green leaves; white to cream, spidery flower clusters appear from winter to early summer; drought tolerant once established

Ornamental Features

Water Bush features showy panicles of lightly-scented creamy white spider-like flowers at the ends of the branches from early winter to late spring. It has attractive grayish green foliage with hints of silver which emerges light green in spring. The fuzzy narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter. The rough dark gray bark and gray branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Water Bush is an open multi-stemmed evergreen tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Water Bush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Water Bush will grow to be about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for poor, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America.