Sunday, April 23, 2017

Plectranthus cremnus


                Plectranthus cremnus
I call this the Byron Bay Plectranthus as it is from that part of northern New South Wales. Like a lot of native plants it has failed to cross over into the general garden scene despite having these extraordinary deep marine blue flowers and lovely velvet soft heart shaped leaves. The problem is that it is an untidy plant and a bit of a sprawler. Along the way it sheds its stem leaves so you are left looking at a mass of bare stems with leaves and flowers at the terminal. I have tried tip pruning in the hope of making it more compact but this has not made a difference to the overall appearance. Nevertheless it is a hardy plant and does not have any special water or fertilizer requirements.

 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Ian, a lot of Plectanthrus seem to be very hardy and have low water requirements. But I didn't realize they were natives.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sue,
      The most popular native one is P. argentatus and its compact form called 'Silver Shield'. Many of the garden ones are of South African origin however

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