Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Diosma ericoides L.

breath of heaven

An evergreen, frost-tender, loosely-rounded shrub to around 60cm tall and wide with needle-like, aromatic leaves to 1cm long. From late winter into spring, a profusion of small, fragrant, five-petalled white flowers sometimes tinted red on the outside and fading to pink are borne at the ends of branches

Other common names

buchu

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

South–facing or East–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rutaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Diosma are evergreen shrubs with small, aromatic, linear leaves. Star-shaped fragrant flowers carried at the end of wiry stems are borne in profusion from late winter into spring.
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in a well-drained, neutral to acid soil in full sun. Frost tender so protect with a thick , dry winter mulch or grow in a container and move indoors to overwinter

Propagation

Propagate by seed in spring or by semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Patio and container plants
Rock garden
Cottage and informal garden
Low Maintenance
Wall side borders

Pruning

Shorten flower stems after flowering to maintain a compact habit

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Love gardening

View our Privacy Policy

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.