PlantFiles: Plectranthus
Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'

Lovely plant, charming flowers, SUPER easy from cuttings.

Grows well and blooms beautifully. Does not self seed so I take cuttings in the fall and they bloom all winter long. Seems to quit blooming in the hottest parts of the year, but the plant itself with the purple and green looks great anyway.

I would agree with Stuber that daylength may have an effect on bloom as mine too slow their roll in the summer, no matter where I move them or how I fertilize them. Nonetheless they rate a big positive from me because they are so lovely, I've been buying them every spring for the past five years. Trim them heavily when planting for the thickest possible plants and loads of blooms down the road.

Love the plant and the color. Only problem is that it dies back in cold winters and doesn't come back. Otherwise it was great. In my area has to have shade for most of the day.

While we have to grow this plant as an annual in North Carolina, it is such a great asset to the garden. The plant gives out luscious purple blooms all season long and has purply-green foliage. It is a great plant!

I bought 2 in August. I left them in 6 inch plastic pots in part sun. They would burn when left in too much sun so they are tender. I brought them in the house before the first frost.

I neglected them and some foliage dried up, but quickly made a come back.

The surprise....there are black round poppy-like seeds everywhere. I know the brugs and the pink plume plant they share the room with didn't drop them.

These little beauties must literally send them out...so many could not have rolled several feet away.

I've swept them up to sow in a morning sun area this spring.
cynthia

I have had this in the ground in a sunny bed for two years in Houston and it has survived drought, floods and neglect with no problems. It is a prolific bloomer and thrives in our high heat and humidity. I would highly recommend giving this one a try.

I really love this plant. I have great success growing it and get many compliments. I have taken numerous cuttings to transplant and it roots very readily. makes nice gifts. I will take some to the garden club that I belong to ., Ver;y easy to grow.
I am about 80 miles from Houston, Texas (south)

I have read (and personally found) this plant to be sensitive to the length of day in regards to blooming. Mine bloom best in the spring/early summer, then slowly stop blooming through the longer summer days, only to add a fresh flush of blooms again in the fall. It makes a terrific potted specimen plant on a patio or near an entrance way and rarely fails to draw comments. Plants maintained in some shadier conditions seem to retain their blooms a bit more through the summer. I can't recommend this plant enough, and even if you can't nurse it through a winter, new specimens each spring are now becomming relatively inexpensive and well worth every penny.

I grew my plants from cuttings received last March and they bloomed from July until heavy frost (November). I took cuttings in September and those are now blooming in an East-facing window, and in my greenhouse. From my limited observations, I think that blooms occur on ripened new growth. Day length does not seem to be a factor.
My plants had so many blooms last fall that I picked some for a bouquet. They rooted in water and bloomed for a long time. I finally potted them up and they have done just as well as the cuttings I rooted in soil under plastic.
I intend to plant some with my hostas and ferns this year.

iI am pretty sure this is the plant I have. It was in bloom when I bought it (early spring) and looks just like the pictures and the habit is the same as described. However, after its first bloom cycle, I could not get it to rebloom again. It was in morning sun, slightly potbound, and well watered and fertilized. It has come in the house now for the winter. I am still hoping I can get it to rebloom. At least the foliage is attractive and the pest free.

GROWS WELL IN SOUTH CAROLINA(U.S.) IS EASILY ROOTED BY CUTTING AND STICKING INTO SOIL- VERY EASY!GROWS GREAT IN FULL SUN OR PART SHADE.DON`T KNOW ABOUT WINTER YET.I`M GOING TO TRY HEAVILY MULCHING -LET YOU KNOW NEXT SPRING.

One of the VERY few plants that I have ever grown to bloom well in heavy shade.

I love this plant. I had no idea what it was when I bought it off the clearance rack with no tag. It grows beautifully in Upstate South Carolina.

Superb foliage with burgandy underside and stems, lovely very detailed lavendar flowers.

Some sources state that 'Mona Lavender' originated at the National Botanical Institute in South Africa and others note it was bred at the famous Kirstenbosh Botanical Garden in Capetown. This is a relatively new form of Plectranthus that does not spread or become invasive and has more woody mature stems which form a small low shrub (mine are 2 feet tall and wide). It exhibits an upright, erect habit and grows rapidly. Numerous lavendar colored 6-inch long spiked flowers begin to appear from late summer through autumn. They are stunning, orchid-like and last a long time. Deadhead old flower heads as the blooms fade.

The dark, deep green, 2 inches long and 1 inch wide leaves have dark, wine purple veins and undersides and are slightly curled at the edges with short coarse teeth. They provide interesting color and texture in the garden when the plant is not in bloom. Plant in filtered sun to shade and in moist, well drained soil. Water often during hot, dry weather (it requires less water than a coleus or impatien) and feed in-ground plantings every six to eight weeks with a general plant food. Fertilize container plantings every other week or use a slow-release fertilizer at the label rate. It needs protection from frosts and will die to the ground with severe cold.

I have rooted stems easily and shared the new plants with friends who love them as much as I do. In 2002, they were hard to locate..now they are becoming more readily available and the news about their beauty and ease of care has spread.