Rhaphithamnus spinosus

From Chile and Argentina, this is grown for the small tubular pale-blue flowers in April and especially the deep-purple round fruits in autumn. This would appear to be a myrtle from afar, but under close inspection one sees the small sharply toothed leaves are subtended by sharp spines. A medium to large evergreen shrub with attractive flaking beige bark, best against a warm wall in cold areas though hardy in the Cotswolds for many years, even through the hugely damaging cold of Dec '22.

£30.00