Plant Library

Other Names:  Conejo Buckwheat

Description:

An attractive, compact plant for use in water-wise applications and xeriscaping; a native shrub producing chartreuse to yellow flowers above silver-white foliage in late spring; blooms fade to copper and persist until fall; excellent for naturalizing

Ornamental Features

Saffron Buckwheat features showy clusters of yellow flowers with chartreuse overtones rising above the foliage from late spring to mid fall, which emerge from distinctive brick red flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive grayish green foliage with white veins and tinges of silver which emerges white in spring. The fuzzy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Saffron Buckwheat is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Saffron Buckwheat is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Saffron Buckwheat will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 inches. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is native to parts of North America.

Saffron Buckwheat makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.