Fernbush is a wonderful Utah native, well suited to urban life. It has an upright, rounded form, growing about 3 to 5 feet tall. Bright green foliage emerges in the spring, and as the name suggests, has a fern-like appearance. foliage has a lemony-pine scent when bruised. Mid-summer sees clusters of white flowers appearing at the ends of branches. Bark is red and shreddy. Though not typically evergreen in our region, it holds its foliage late into the autumn. Use in the shrub or foundation border, as an informal hedge, or near the veggie garden as a pollinator-attractor.
Grow in well drained soil and in full sun to part shade. It is adaptive to a wide range of soil types, including heavy clay soils and poor soils. Flowers attract native bees, butterflies, and and other beneficial insects. Very drought tolerant once established. Prune hard, nearly to the ground, in late winter to keep the form tidy and to produce lots of branches for flowering. Cold hardy to -25f.