Westringia fruticosa 'Blue Gem' is a versatile, dense, evergreen shrub that resembles boxwood with its bushy foliage and similar landscape uses. However, its vivid deep violet flowers and attractive olive-green, small, pointed leaves set it apart. Blue Gem Westringia is a drought-tolerant alternative to traditional boxwood hedges. With its upright, compact growth habit, it’s perfect for privacy hedges, borders, groupings, or as a versatile addition to any garden.
Easy to grow, Blue Gem Westringia provides structure to both formal and informal gardens. Known for its ability to withstand heavy pruning, it offers endless design possibilities—from tightly clipped geometric shapes and whimsical topiaries to formal borders. This green-leafed, blue-flowering Westringia grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide, making it ideal for accentuating gateways, entrances, or driveways as manicured specimens, whether planted in the ground or containers. A waterwise Australian shrub, it thrives in both coastal and arid inland climates, tolerating wind, sea spray, and even the wet soils found in bioswales.
Blue Gem, a patented Westringia hybrid, is also known as 'WES03' or Blue Gem Coast Rosemary. Its vibrant blue-violet flowers bloom in spring and sporadically throughout much of the year. These blooms resemble rosemary flowers but are slightly larger. While the common name "coast rosemary" refers to the leaf shape’s resemblance to Rosmarinus, Westringia leaves are neither edible nor fragrant like common rosemary.
