Haba Shan

Much in demand at our nursery, R. hippophaeoides var. Haba Shan has wonderful blue flowers that delight the eye.  Hardy to -10 deg. F, it is tolerant of sun and even swampy conditions.  It will even withstand a hard frost when in full flower.  The flowers are small tubular in shape, are a lovely lavender-blue, and seem to show themselves several times a year.   The plant will only grow to 3ft x 3ft in 10 years, so it can go toward the front of the border for closer viewing.  The foliage is small and has a spicy smell when handled.  One drawback is that the winter temperatures cause the foliage to curl and look bad.  As spring approaches, the plant takes on its more attractive foliage appearance.  R. hippophaeoides is found growing wild in Yunnan and Szechwan provinces of China at 9,000-14,000 ft. elevation.  One of our favorites, and we know it will be one of yours too.  

Rare Variety – This variety is difficult to find anywhere due to these reasons

·        Hard to propagate – many cultivars do not root easily from cuttings, but at a reduced rate thus making the plant rare.

·        Hard to find – these cultivars are hard to find in the first place, probably because they are hard to root from cuttings