Mona Lavender Plant
( Plectranthus Hybrid ‘Mona Lavender’)
Mona Lavender Origins:
Painstakingly bred at the Kirstenborsch Botanical Gardens in South Africa. Beautiful foliage and blooms make Mona Lavender a garden favorite.
I fell in love with this stunning plant the very first time I planted it in my North Florida Landscape, it grew and bloomed like crazy. I got so many compliments from neighbors on those few plants that its been a garden staple ever since!
Perhaps my favorite feature of Plectranthus species is their ability to root easily in soil with just a daily watering. So pinch off a few branches in late fall when the blooms are done and bring it indoors to enjoy over the
winter months. I leave mine in a small terra cotta pot in the kitchen window over winter and plant them out again next spring to enjoy all over again!
Mona Lavender Preferred Exposure in Northeast Florida Landscapes:
Mona Lavender plants in my St. Johns Florida area garden seem to prefer a partially shaded spot. Although I have seen them out and about growing in full sun and still looking great, I have really well draining sandy soil
in my garden so it would be a little more difficult to keep them moist enough for a more sunny location. It may be worth giving them a try in a sunny spot if you have moist soils.
I like to keep my Mona lavender plants under a larger Oak or Pine tree, not only does it provide the shade to keep them looking great it provides enough winter protecting that with a little built up layer of pine straw
around the base, will help the roots overwinter and regrow again the next year.
Mona Lavender / Plectranthus Hybrid Foliage:
Gorgeous deep green leaves are covered in tiny white hairs and have a deep dark burgundy purple underside to the leaves that really show off the blooms. Especially when planted into patio containers that are closer to eye
level where it exposes the undersides of the leaves.
Mona Lavender Soil Preference / Salt tolerance:
Amend your planting site with compost before planting for best results. Mona lavender will thrive in rich dark soils.
– Unknown Salt tolerance. Have it at the beach? Let us know how it did!
Mona Lavender Size Variance:
Mona lavender is a very low growing semi hardy perennial plant selection that will can grow as tall as 2-3 ft in height each season, and can slowly spread, rooting where the stems touch the ground and eventually
creeping its way around neighboring plantings. Mona Lavender really makes a great filler for the North Florida, Jacksonville and St. Augustine Florida area perennial garden!
Mona Lavender Growth Habit:
This Hybrid Plectranthus Mona Lavender unlike others of the species has a rather upright mounding habit, rather than a low broad spreading habit typical of other Plectranthus Hybrids like Swedish Ivy.
Mona Lavender Growth Rate:
Fast growing Mona Lavender plants can be expected to reach full height in the first season in the Northeast Florida, Jacksonville and St. Augustine area landscapes.
Mona Lavender Hybrid Plectranthus Blooms:
Mona lavender plants do many things well and blooming is definitely one of them. Although they do well in the spring and intermittently through the summer ( especially if you pinch back the growing tips of each branch when the flowers fade ) but these plants literally cover themselves in blooms each fall around September and just keep on going through October, November and sometimes even December depending on the weather.
– The stalks of the dainty bright lavender purple flowers are very showy in the landscape and are covered with darker purple flecking that is noticeable when viewing them at an up close range.
Mona Lavender Hybrid Plectranthus Water Requirements:
– Mona Lavender will require supplemental irrigation for best results at least twice weekly especially during the summer months.
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
– Not touted for attracting wildlife to the garden, but they sure do attract people!
Best Uses for Plectranthus Hybrid Mona lavender in the Northeast Florida St Johns St Augustine area Landscape :
– Mona lavender will perform well in the shade to part sun areas of the landscape and fit nicely into any landscape style from modern or Mediterranean to whim sickle Cottage gardens.
– Great for container planting and mixes well with flowering plants for a stunning display without taking over the pot!
– Great companion plant in perennial mixed borders
– Excellent when planted in mass for easy maintenance blooms that make a great flowering display spring summer and fall .
Care of Mona Lavender Hybrid Plectranthus:
– Water every day during the establishment period after planting in the garden from a nursery container, once plants have established themselves into the landscape taper water back to just a bi weekly application if local rainfall levels are low.
Perennial in central and south Florida this selection of Plectranthus is most often planted as an annual and replaced at the end of the season with col season annuals in our North Florida subtropical climate zone. I like to pinch a few stalks to stick in a pot in an indoor windowsill to have some blooms over winter and leave the foliage and the roots in place, covering the base of the plant with a thick layer of straw over winter to remove in early spring when all danger of frost has passed , trim off the dead wood above where the new growth appears and fertilize.
Fertilize each spring and again in mid summer after pinching back the foliage when flowers have begun to fade with a handful of garden compost or a mixture of Milorganite or Green Edge and a slow release garden fertilizer like Osmocote.