Plant types

Plant styles

Planting conditions

Seasonal interest

Nurseries & Gardens

Photo by Stan Shebs

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Show all photos

Encelia farinosa

Also Known As

Brittlebush
Golden Hills
Incienso

Plant type

shrub, perennial

size

H: 1'-5'
W: 1'-4'

planting zones

9a-11

More Options

Encelia farinosa plant details

Encelia farinosa is a broadleaf deciduous or evergreen perennial shrub with blue foliage. In spring chocolate, orange and yellow flowers emerge. Attracts bees and butterflies making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun and low water. Drought tolerant once established. Prefers to be dry in summer. Does well in gritty and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Encelia farinosa

Plant type: perennial shrub
Plant family: asteraceae
Foliage: deciduous or evergreen blue
Mature size: 1 FT - 4 FT - wide, 1 FT - 5 FT - tall
Flowers: chocolate, orange and yellow blooms in spring
Uses: fragrant, rock garden, xeric

GROWING CONDITIONS for Encelia farinosa

USDA Zones: 9a - 11
Sun exposure: sun
Watering frequency: low
Resistant to: heat
Soil needs: gritty and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Compact, fragrant shrub 2-4' high, with silvery leaves, in dense clusters. 2" yellow flowers with brown centers occur in mid-spring. Tolerant of extreme heat, aridity, wind and drought, but under severe moisture stress it will drop its leaves. California deserts.

By: Native Sons

Native bees & butterflies just love this shrubby sunflower relative from the South West, California & Mexico. The 2-3” orange/yellow flowers come in large clusters on stems rising out of a 3’ silvery shrub. It blooms mostly in the spring but also occasionally through the year. The shrub can be cut back in the fall to make it more compact. The leaves are evergreen, fragrant & were burned as incense & chewed by the native people of the area. It is extremely drought tolerant to the point of not looking good if watered. So go easy with the water around this one. If you have a difficult hot spot with reflected heat from concrete sidewalks or walls, or if your soil is very sandy, Inciencio can take it. It will look good with coastal scrub plants like Artemisia, sages & annuals like Gilia nevinii.