Garrya fremontii-Fremont’s silk tassel

Description Fremont’s silk tassel is one of the earliest blooming shrubs in the Klamath-Siskiyou region, offering showy, creamy white to yellow, tasseled flowers in late winter to early spring. The tassels are catkin-like clusters that are primarily wind pollinated. With dark green, leathery, evergreen leaves, Fremont’s silk tassel offers year-round interest. Native to California, Oregon and southern Washington, Fremont’s silk tassel inhabits a wide range of habitat types, from mixed conifer forest in the mountains, to woodland, chaparral and valley grasslands at lower elevations. It is adaptable to a wide range of soil types. Mature plants will grow to 5-15′ depending on the location. Fremont’s silk tassel is dioecious, meaning it has distinct male and female plants. Both male and female plants need to be present in an area to achieve pollination and the attractive purple berries that are eaten by birds and small mammals. Deer notoriously love to browse on silk tassel foliage. Provide a well-drained soil mix when growing this species in the nursery setting. This species is named after John Charles Fremont (1813-1890), an explorer, military officer and politician who had a complex history, including killing Native Americans during his expeditions. Fremont’s silk tassel (Garrya fremontii) seed packets contain approximately 60 seeds per packet. Seed Germination Instructions 90-120 days cold-moist stratification. Sow outside in fall for best germination. Sow seeds in pots or direct sow outside in fall with a light dusting of soil over the seeds and let nature do the stratification naturally outside if you have cold enough winters. If you live in an area with mild winters, you may need to provide the cold-moist stratification artificially. For more information please read through the information in our Seed Germination and Propagation Reference Guide.