Requires a light well-drained poorish soil in full sun in a position sheltered from cold drying winds. Tolerates light shade. Prefers a hot dry situation according to one report whilst another says that it does best against a north, west or east wall, a southern exposure usually being too hot and dry. Tolerates very chalky soils. Plants produce lush growth when growing in rich soils at the expense of flowering. This species is not hardy in the open at Kew, though it succeeds in the open in milder areas of the country. Plants tolerate temperatures down to about -15°c, especially once they are more than 1.5 metres tall. Plants are relatively fast growing. Resents root disturbance and should be planted into its final position when quite young. Plants do not seem to be long lived in cultivation, about 20 years being considered old age. They are subject to sudden collapse and death, even if they have been growing and flowering well. This is probably the result of excessive wet or of the plant failing to fully ripen its wood. The stems die back if the bark is cracked by frost or abrasion. Plants can be pruned in mid to late summer, this will generate new growth and more flowers. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus.

None known

Seed - pre-soak for 48 hours in warm water and then sow singly in pots in a cold frame in late winter. Variable germination. Grow the young plants on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in sandy soil in a frame. Cuttings of greenwood in spring in a frame.

Dry, mostly granitic slopes, 900 - 1800 metres in California. It thrives on poor dry rocky soils of the foothills, where it often forms dense thickets.