Chamaebatiaria
( kam - mee - BAT - ee - ah - ruh )
At-A-Glance Information
Also known as Fernbush, Tansybush or Desert Sweet, this is a species of evergreen to deciduous shrubs that needs full sun and little to moderate waterings. They attract bees and butterflies, so they're perfect biodiversity specimens to add to your garden. These shrubs are well-branched and grow to be between 5-8 feet tall and wide and have aromatic foliage. Midsummer flowers are white and fragrant. Chamaebatiaria millefolium is the sole species in the genus, which is a member of the plant family Rosaceae. Fernbush grows well in zones 1-3, 7, and 14-21 (to find your zone, click here: Zone Map) and are native to scrublands, woodlands, and forests in western North America.
|
Caring for and pruning Chamaebatiaria shrubs
These shrubs need good drainage, and for spent bloom clusters to be pruned off. Otherwise, they are considered easy-care plants. Plant Fernbush in full sun.
Propagation
Fernbush can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your plant, follow the instructions below:
Propagating Chamaebatiaria millefolium by Cutting
Propagating Chamaebatiaria millefolium by Seed
Propagating Chamaebatiaria millefolium by Cutting
- Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
- In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
- Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth on your propagated shrub, you'll know you have roots.
- Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.
Propagating Chamaebatiaria millefolium by Seed
- Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of its parent. To propagate by seed, you will need an envelope, a sealable jar, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
- Harvest your seeds, and then cold stratify them. We can mimic their natural process by storing them in a cold refrigerator for between 14 and 28 days. After this process, they can be sown in soil.
- Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch down. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
- Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
Problems and Pests
Fernbush has no serious pest or disease issues.
Gallery
Videos
How to trim your Fernbush like a pro.
|
An informative video about Fernbush.
|
Resources
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 234, Chamaebatiaria millefolium
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or photos you’d like to add to the gallery, please let me know by sending me a message using the button below!