I've never grown one like her before but I've been seeing her in the store and I gave in yesterday and decided it was time for her to come home with me.
Her name is Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'. She isn't like the herb named Lavender, her name refers to the color of her beautiful flowers. Her leaves are a deep green.
So pretty! Now I have to find a home for her. :-)
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12 comments:
gorgeous... is she an orchid?
That is just like w.latane barton said that is just gorgeous. I guess I am getting old that color is becomeing a favorite, like red.
Patsy
Latane, the flowers are very orchid-like, aren't they? But they are tiny little flowers. The plant is covered with them. It's called Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'. I think you can grow them in your area. They wouldn't survive the winter but you could grow them as an annual.
Patsy, I was very drawn to the color as well. It's such a bright 'pop' of color. And it grows in the shade so you can just imagine how it will light up a shady spot.
Greenjeans, You did it! Good for you. You are going to love it I'm certain. You must have been giving into buying the lavender about the same time I was giving into buying my first Black and Blue Salvia. I think that's what it's called. Like you, I've had my eye on them for months and just didn't want to add annual to my garden. I put it in a container along with some herbs because I just have to mix flowers and herbs together. Anyway, I can't wait to see where you put your mona and if you love it like I love mine.
Meems, Yes! I did it! Oh my goodness, the display of these plants in the garden center is amazing. A mass planting of these would be absolutely stunning! But my budget doesn't allow for that right now so I'm happy with just one. I'll see how it does and go from there. Your new Black and Blue Salvia sounds intriguing... I don't do too much with annuals either but I have a couple of pots of red petunias at my front entrance whenever possible. Their scent in the evening and early morning is fantastic!
Hi GJ!
Nice choice! Check out my blog, I had posted a pic of my mona lavender patch a few days prior to your posting.
You'll love them. They have virtually no pests and do well in almost full shade as well. That's were I have my patch, in poor sandy soil & almost full shade...when you place them in full sun the leaves lose some of that striking color they have...
Heads up: in Florida both Mona Lavender & Black & Blue salvia are perennials in spite of what their labels may read. I have been growing both for over a year now. The salvia kind of fades away a little over the cold months but it comes right back.
One last thing: don't feel sad you could only get one mona lavender--this plant is about the easiest thing to propagate. Just take a cut and put it in a vase with water, once roots start to show just plant it in the ground. The process should take less than six weeks, if that.
Oh, wait, this is the real last thing: if you plant black & blue salvia plant it where you can see the hummers come and visit it...like near a window or a spot where you sit outside.
Later!
gf
Hey GF!! You're full of good info as usual! :) I'm glad to hear that the mona is not an annual and even happier that it's easy to propagate. I'll make my own plants rather than buy more. Always good to know! Right now, it's tucked in under a Spinach Tree and between a yellow Thryallis and a blue Porterweed. I break all the rules when it comes to colors. lol
Yeah yeah yeah...I am full of IT
:--)
I gosh, I so not care about color combination and gardening design rules! I gave up on that long ago...it is very hard to do when you gotta think about a million practical things (large tree roots, squirrels eating habits, birds, sunlight, underground cables or water thingies, etc.)...
Funny that I think most gardens look pretty even if they don't follow the conventional gardening design guidelines...the only thing I do like is flowers in large masses...particularly the mexican sage...I just think it is more impactful....but that's just me
:-)
Hey, visit http://marysfloridagarden.blogspot.com she is in Plant City (FL) and started blogging a month or so ago but she has lots of great info in her blog...latest is how to make laudry detergent (healthy and on the cheap)...
GF, I much prefer our non-conventional gardening design guidelines, you know, the unwritten ones for hodge-podge gardeners like us. ;-)
Yes, mass plantings of certain flowers are fantastic... though I don't have any at the moment. I'm working on a mass planting of Hawaiian Ti plants but all that propagating takes time, ya know?
Thanks for the link to Mary's blog. I took a quick peek and thought it looked familiar. When I got to her amazing spiderweb pic, I knew I'd been there before. I think I got there from a comment she left over at your place. And the laundry detergent... I need to give that a try! The price of my All Free & Clear has gone up again and the size of the jug got smaller.
Feel better soon!!!
She's just beautiful!
Well, it looks like all my favorite blogs already have this one. I guess I'm going to have to too! I'm such a lemming.
Tile lady, it's one of the prettiest flowers I've seen this year. I'll be interested to see how it does over the winter.
WG, That's exactly how I felt!! And when I saw the massive display covered in blooms at the garden center, I resisted for a while but finally gave in. These would be stunning in a mass planting.
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