Since it’s cold and the ground is frozen solid, I’ll take some time to glean information and highlights from the past growing season. If you made any great discoveries this year, or just have a favorite plant to share, I invite you to leave a comment.
The name of the plant is Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ and I happened upon it at Country Harmony, a terrific little garden center in Brownsburg, IN. It’s possible that I may have walked passed it in previous years, but it really caught my eye in 2010. Since it was new to me, I featured it as a specimen in a pot of it’s own. I do this with new plants so I can really see the growth habit and watch how they behave in our climate. Quick adjustments for light requirements can be made rather simply by moving the pot in or out of sun and shade. ‘Mona Lavender’ thrives in part sun to deep shade. It proved to be a showstopper as many people inquired about it all summer long.
While the beautiful blooms come on somewhat sporadically, it’s the foliage that makes this a winner in the ornamental category. The leaves are dark green and somewhat glossy with an intense dark purple underside. The stems are dark purple also. The more sun it gets, the more intense the coloration. The blooms, well, they look like miniature orchids with purple markings. Cute!
As I observed this plant all season long, I was struck by the shrub-like characteristics– low and compact. This leads me to believe that it would define a border quite nicely (like a little hedge). As well, it would be great planted en masse or sprinkled into existing beds. And of course, it makes a great container plant too.
All in all, I found this to be a trouble-free plant. It is widely available at garden centers throughout North America thanks to the commercialization by the Ball Horticultural Company. Treat this plant as an annual in Zone 5, or overwinter indoors.
What to know about ‘Mona Lavender’:
- Height: 1 ft. to 3 ft.
- Spread: 1 ft. to 3 ft.
- Growth Pace: Moderate Grower
- Light: Part Shade to Full Shade
- Moisture: Medium Moisture
- Maintenance: Moderate
- Characteristics: Showy Foliage into Late Fall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring through Late Fall
- Flower Color: Purple/Lavender
- Uses: Beds and Borders, Container, Shade, Indoor Plant
- Type: Plectranthus
Interesting fact: This hybrid was developed at South Africa’s Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in the 1990s. The South African National Biodiversity Institute has an agreement with the Ball Horticultural Company near Chicago which stipulates that for each plant they sell, South Africa receives substantial royalties.