Westringia fruticosa ‘Blue Gem’ — The desert’s lavender imposter.

Brimming with violet-blue blooms and silvery foliage, this tidy Australian native offers coastal toughness with cottage-garden color. It’s perfection in plant form — graceful, reliable, and salt-spray proof.

Plant Details:

• Water Needs: Low once established

• Sun Needs: Full sun to light shade

• Soil Requirements: Well-drained, sandy soils

• Growing Zone: USDA Zones 8–11

• Cold Hardiness: To ~20°F

• Mature Size: 3–5 ft tall × 3–5 ft wide

• Native Origin: Coastal Australia

• Best Substitutes For: Lavandula, Teucrium fruticans

• Landscape Uses: Coastal gardens, hedges, pollinator borders