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Other Names:  Goat Nut, Deer Nut, Pignut, Wild Hazel

Description:

A woody, evergreen shrub producing attractive gray-green, leathery leaves that are upswept on the branches; yellow-green flower clusters on male plants in late winter; excellent for dry, sunny borders; oil from seeds is a popular skin care supplement

Ornamental Features

Jojoba has attractive green foliage with grayish green undersides on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. The oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. It is bathed in stunning clusters of chartreuse flowers along the branches from late winter to early spring.

Landscape Attributes

Jojoba is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting birds and squirrels to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Jojoba is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Jojoba will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 7 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America.

Jojoba makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.