Colletia hystrix
Anchor plant
Also known as Colletia armata
- Height × spread
- 2.5m × 1.5m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This large and sturdy shrub consists of green spiny branches in a tangled array. The spines themselves have blunt rounded ends, so they aren't too fearsome. The plant produces masses of small white flowers with some pink suffusion that cluster the bare branches in late summer and autumn. The flowers are tiny and tubular, with five recurving petals at their mouth. Each petal has a centre black spot on it. The flowers are sweetly fragrant with a perfume reminiscent of hawthorn. Give this a warm sunny spot in dry soil. The shrub stands around 15m (16ft) high with a 1.5m (5ft) spread.
- Flower colour
- White
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, honey-almond
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 2.5m
- Spread
- 1.5m
- Height in 10 years
- 2m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Scented garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal), Poor soil
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Wall cover, Structural
- Walls
- South, West facing
- Hazards
- Yes, stems are prickly/thorny
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming 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-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.
Planting & general
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.