How to Care for a Mona Lavender

Mona Lavender (Plectranthus Mona Lavender) is a relative of Swedish Ivy. Although it has lovely foliage like its cousin, with green on the top of the leaves and purple undersides, its most attractive attribute is the flower display in autumn. Six-inch sprays of lavender flowers adorn the Mona Lavender and, although an unpredictable bloomer, according to its breeder at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the flowers may continue to bloom through early summer. Mona Lavender is frost intolerant and best grown within zones 10 and 11 on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone Map.

Things You'll Need

• Fertilizer
• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Grow Mona Lavender in shade or partial sun. Foliage color is deeper and richer if the plant gets a bit of sun each day.

2. Water often enough to keep the soil moist. During the heat of summer you may need to water every two or three days.

3. Apply a slow-release 2-3-2 fertilizer after Mona Lavender finishes blooming. Water the soil prior to fertilizing.

4. Pinch 1/2 inch from the tips of new stems. This will encourage the Mona Lavender to branch out and produce more flowers.

5. Deadhead the Mona Lavender periodically during the blooming season. Use pruning shears to snip the stems into the foliage.

References

• University of Tennessee; UT Gardens Plant of the Month: Mona Lavender; Emily K. Smith
• PlantZAfrica.com; Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'; Adam Harrower ; October 2003
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Plectranthus Mona Lavender

Resources

• The United States National Arboretum: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map