Tamarix gallica Seeds | French Tamarisk
LATIN NAME: Tamarix gallica
COMMON NAME: French Tamarisk
Plant Profile
French Tamarisk (Tamarix gallica) grows as a deciduous shrub in the tamarisk family. In tamarisk family it is feathery pioneer of salt flats and dunes, a shrub that turns harshest ground into something soft and pink. At maturity it stands about Four metres. Together these qualities explain its long-standing appeal to gardeners.
Science & Biotechnology
As part of the tamarisk family, Tamarix gallica contributes to research on plant classification and adaptation, while nurseries and gardeners continue to trial it for cultivation. Botanists have studied its slender, scale-like leaves as a textbook example of way dry-country plants save their water, and horticulturists have worked out how to grow feathery, pink-flowered form in the garden. Continuing work by breeders and collectors keeps good seed of this species moving through the trade.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, French Tamarisk earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. In coastal garden, the French tamarisk is plant that takes salt wind and comes back pink. Its feathery, plume-like heads of small, pale-pink flowers feed bees, dense, arching growth gives shelter to birds, and the same tough branches hold the soil of the dunes and the dry banks. It is classic windbreak and soil-fixing shrub of dry regions, and it asks only for sun and sharp-draining ground. Once it has its roots down, it more or less looks after itself.
Tamarisk is a salt-tough windbreak tree for coasts and deserts, its galls a traditional tannin source.
Growing from Seed
Raising French Tamarisk from seed is straightforward. Use a loose, well-drained seed compost, sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly, and keep everything evenly moist in bright light. Move strong seedlings into individual pots, keep them in good light, and set them out when the weather and their size agree.
Our Take
Part of this plant’s appeal is the long practical history summarized above. French Tamarisk is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. Its wants are few — a sunny spot, soil that drains, and time to settle in.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow French Tamarisk often pair it with these related subjects: