Fremontodendron ‘West Hills’

A low growing member of the flannel bush family, Fremontodendron ‘West Hills’ spreads about 8′ wide and grows up to about 4′. An excellent and showy, no maintenance groundcover , ‘West Hills’ does best where it has perfect drainage, such as a rocky slope or canyonside. This flannel bush offers large, yellow-orange flowers in spring and has attractively lobed leaves on arching branches. It is a mounding evergreen shrub that would do well with some supplement water after planting in autumn, but then no more water as it is drought tolerant. Flannel bushes are tough as nails in dry conditions, but susceptible to rot from overwater, so be sure the proposed planting site has excellent drainage. Please note, the fuzzy leaves are actually covered in hairs that can irritate human skin—plant this native away from walkways, more up on a bank or less trafficked area. ‘West Hills’ needs full sun to part shade, and is frost resistant. Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Hybrid between F. decumbens x F. ‘California Glory’.