​Fremontia

 ( Free - MONT - ee - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

Fremontia, also known as Fremontodendron or Flannel Bush, is a genus of evergreen shrubs and small trees. These plants are fast growing and have a sprawling, irregular shape, reaching 20 feet tall and 12 feet wide on average. Dark green leaves are felted underneath. Large golden blooms pop in springtime and are long-lasting, followed by seed pods. These shrubs should be planted far from high-traffic areas as the hairs on undersides of leaves as well as seed pods can be irritating to skin. Fremontodendron shrubs are at home in wildlife and natural gardens, and can also be used as specimen plantings, valued for their profuse flower show.

Fremontia Species and Varietals

This small genus contains only three species and a number of hybrids, and is a member of the plant family Malvaceae. The genus Fremontodendron is named for John C. Fremont, an explorer who collected a specimen of this genus in Alta, California in 1846. Fremontia grows best in zones 4-24. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Fremontodendron californicum (Common Flannel Bush)
This shrub is native to creeksides, foothills, and mountain hillsides in California, Arizona, and Baja Mexico. Lemon-yellow flowers bloom in mid-spring to late-spring. Reaches 20 feet tall and just as wide in only 5 years.
Fremontodendron Hybrids 
This group of shrubs are all crosses between Fremontodendron californicum and Fremontodendron mexicanum and range greatly in size. 
Fremontodendron 'California Glory'
Rich yellow flowers with red backsides. 20 feet tall and wide.
Fremontodendron 'Dara's Gold'
3-4 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide, with glossy green leaves. Blooms winter to spring.
Fremontodendron 'Ken Taylor'
Cascading habit, reaches 4-6 feet tall and 8-12 feet wide. Cup shaped flowers with orange backsides bloom winter to summer.
Fremontodendron 'Pacific Sunset'
12-15 feet tall and wide. Deep orange-yellow flowers bloom in spring, and sporadically through the year. Disease resistant. 
Fremontodendron 'San Gabriel'
Grows to 15-20 feet tall and not as wide. Leaves resemble those of Maple trees. Sunny yellow blooms appear in springtime.

​Fremontodendron mexicanum (Southern Flannel Bush)
This is an endangered species native to Southern California and Northern Mexico. Orange-tinted yellow blossoms bloom over a long period - from late spring well into fall.

Caring for and pruning fremontia shrubs

Flannel Bush is an easy-care planting that requires very little maintenance once established. Plant these flowering beauties in full sun in soil with excellent drainage that has a pH of between 6.0 and 8.0. Provide regular water as they are establishing themselves in their new home. Once established, these shrubs do not do well with supplemental waterings, except in periods of extreme drought conditions. They are tolerant of temperatures down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but can endure some damage at lower temperatures. Prune only to remove dead, diseased, or broken branches. Flannel Bush does not respond well to hard prunings; cutting into old wood will in most cases kill the plant. These shrubs do not require fertilizations to bloom and perform well.

Propagation

Fremontodendron 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 shrub, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Fremontodendron by Cutting
  1. 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.
  2. 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 softwood, 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.
  3. 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, you'll know you have roots. 
  4. 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 Fremontodendron by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, 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. 
  2. Harvest your seeds. Once the seed pods have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will begin to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
  3. Caesalpinia seeds have a hard coating that protects them, but this coating also makes it a little difficult to get them to germinate. We can help the process along by scarifying them with sandpaper (or simply rubbing them against an abrasive surface). Do this with as many seeds as you can; they will probably not all sow, and the ones that do will be of varying characteristics. The more seeds you plant, the more chances you will have to get the resulting shrub you want. Place your seeds in warm water for six hours.
  4. After scarifying your seeds, place them in a sealable bag filled with moist peat moss and place the bag in the refrigerator. They should be kept cold (at about 35 degrees Fahrenheit) for 12-16 weeks. After this period, remove them from the bag and place them aside until you are ready to work with them.
  5. 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 to a half-inch under the soil surface. 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. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. 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.
  6. 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.

​Fremontodendron seeds are contained inside capsules left behind after the flowers have faded.

Problems and Pests

Fremontodendron shrubs do not usually suffer from any pests or disease.

Gallery

Fremontia is wonderful near walkways, stairs, and patios, where its profuse blooms can be admired from close-up.
These shrubs do well on hillsides and sloped areas, which have great drainage.
Flannel Bush flowers bloom over a long season, from spring through fall.

Videos

A great, informational video about Flannel Bush.
A glimpse at Fremontia in its natural habitat.

Resources

Fremontodendron californicum (California Flannelbush)
Flannel Bush, Fremontodendron
Wikipedia: Fremontodendron
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 328, Fremontodendron
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