Coleonema pulchellum
Breath of heaven, Buchu
Also known as Diosma ericoides
- Height × spread
- 1.5m × 1.2m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Mild winter to -5C (RHS H3)
- Flowers
- Winter, Spring
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
A delightful, rather frothy looking shrub that makes a rather open mound of slender stems that are clad in bright green needle-like foliage. The needles are soft to the touch and aromatic. It spangles itself in many small starry pale pink flowers in late winter and early spring. The plant comes from South Africa and is unlikely to be hardy outside all year except in the warmest parts of the country. Give it a warm sheltered position, perhaps with the protection of a south or a west facing wall. It is unsuited to windy or exposed positions. It is a good coastal shrub and likes ericaceous compost. General care: It can be grown in a container and brought in for winter when it should be given enough water to prevent the soil from desiccating. If grown permanently in a pot it will need regular feeding in its growth period.
- Flower colour
- Pink
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 1.5m
- Spread
- 1.2m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Winter
- Flowers in
- Winter, Spring
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Cottage garden, Conservatory
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- Acid (ericaceous), Neutral
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Mild winter to -5C (RHS H3)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Use for
- Structural, Bee attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Apply slow release fertiliser
Apply a slow release fertiliser which is spread around the root area of plants soon after they have come into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with sequestrol
If plants are acid loving and grown in soil with little acidity, or in a container, or are watered with limey tap water an annual feed with sequestrol (iron chelate) is highly beneficial. Follow guidelines on the packet. Will also 'blue-up' hydrangeas.
For hydrangeas that have good blue flowers in acid soil, this product can be used with alkaline soil to turn the flowers blue. This is most effective when the soil is neutral or just slightkly alkaline.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring · Planting
Repot every other year
Repot every other year if grown in a container. Move it to a slightly larger pot with drainage holes in the bottom. Some of the old compost can be shaken away, but don't disturb the roots too much.
Make sure the roots are spread out and that the plant is sitting on compost and not an air pocket. Firm the soil gently, and ensure that the plant sits at the same level above the soil as it did previously.
Winter
Winter-Spring · Planting
Prune young growth after flowering
When the plant has finished flowering, remove the flower and most of the young growth that the plant has made. Leave just around 2 centimetres of young growth on the plant. Don't cut into old wood unless it is diseased or damaged.
Planting & general
Outdoors
Water with rain water
This plant needs rain water or soft water (the minerals in alkaline or "hard" water are harmful). This is especially important for plants in pots.
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Compost · Planting
Ericaceous compost
This plant requires acidic (ericaceous) soil. Where the soil is not acidic, or when planting in pots, use an ericaceous compost.