Plectranthus, Spur Flower 'Mona Lavender'

I live in zone 6b-7a (Greeneville, TN). Bought a nice pot, at a discounted price, when it wasn't in bloom. Kept it outdoors until cold ...Read Moreweather and then in the greenhouse which is kept just above freezing. It is now (March 2013) blooming again. Leaves are a very dark rich green. Appears to be healthy and happy, although I plan to unpot it long enough to check roots soon and determine whether a larger pot is needed. I've submitted a picture but it's not been posted on this site yet.
As I write this, my contractor is adding a sunroom to our house. Next winter I may be able to keep the Plethranthus there rather than in the greenhouse.

Have had good luck with this in a hanging pot on a western patio, I intend to try some stem cuttings this fall; really like this plant.

I love this plant and have had one or two in patio pots the past two years. The purple flowers are beautiful. But I brought mine inside a...Read Morebout a month ago before the weather turned cold and put it in an east-facing window so it gets morning sun. But the flowers have turned almost white even though it is still blooming. Does it need fertilizer? Is it getting too much sun? Any suggestions?

I bought this plant about the middle of summer, at a Salt Lake Lowe's when it had a few blooms on it, took it home and have enjoyed it ev...Read Moreer since. I kept it in a pot as I figured it would never overwinter in SLC. Started out in full sun, but when it began to shrivel, I moved it to a shadier spot (dappled with some direct PM light) and it was much happier.

Compared to the other plants in the garden, it seemed to be a bit on the thirsty side during the hotter months - Jul-Sep - almost a gallon every 1 or 2 days. Maybe the low RH around here..? Not too many flowers until the temp hit low 80's, then it positively exploded with blooms (even my husband noticed!).

If this plant doesn't make it through the winter (in my living room) I will look for it again next year. Beautiful foliage, lots and lots of stunning, delicate blooms.

Bought last fall at HomeDepot and kept in solarium all winter, south facing. It stopped blooming mid winter when snow outside was heavy a...Read Morend temp in solarium got to 32 at night. Some died and cut it way back.
. In spring planted in total shade and it took a long time for any new leaves to show. Transplanted late July to some shade but morning sun and it has started blooming well. Will try cuttings soon and depending how they do will plant them in solarium this winter; may dig up original and bring it in as well.

I had gotten this plant from the local Home Depot in 2009, they were real popular and selling from 2008 to 2010 but so far this year 2011...Read More I have not seen any. I did keep this plant in a pot as it is treated as in annual in my area, the first year I had it in the shade with some dappled sun but not much. The leaves were more towards the green side and the blooming was on the thin side. I brought the plant inside over the winter and come spring it went back out in a larger pot for 2010. This time it was placed in full sun in a huge pot and I tell ya this thing took off!! It was 3ft tall, the leaves were a dark purple and looked like a bush with blooms all over and it did bloom pretty much the whole summer. Since I have broken branches off here and there I rooted them which was really easy..drop them into a glass of water. I was lucky because fall of 2010 I brought it in to overwinter. I had to trim it due to its huge size and I think with the combo of the pretty hard trim and the lack of light I lost my beauty.. then I found a baby I had started and forgotten about so now he will be taking the place of my lost one of course in a smaller pot till he too gets huge.. This year when he is overwintered he will end up in my Crawlspace Greenhouse... (ya have to check my veg journal for that one) Makes a great potted annual that you can over winter very easily all you need is light and a light trim if he is to big. I do have nice photo of when I brought it in for the winter of 2010 check it out.
***************AUGUST 2012***********************
I just saw that the local Home Depots have brought this plant back this year for the fall.. Just passing it on..
*******August 2013*******
Since this plant roots so easy from stems in water I always have small ones on hand in case I ever lose and adult one.. So I hope I will continue to have a nice supply of them. I even found one I must have started in a hanging basket which gives me other ideas...

I planted a swath of these in dappled shade. At first they seemed to be doing well. Now, after about a month, the blooms are dropping o...Read Moreff. I deadheaded today and discovered my fingers became black and sticky. One of the plants had small balls of a white fluff on it that reminded me of a spider's silk. What's happening! Any help??

I planted 3 in October (Corpus Christi, Tx). Partial shade with more sun on plant in late afternoon. One by one they have died. Sectio...Read Morens of the top of the stems begins to wilt and die, then it dies to the bottom of the stem. Leaves become sparse on other stems. Found white mealy bug on it. Sprayed with organic product, continued to die. Sprayed with systemic product, continued to die. Treated with a hormone product, slight help on one last plant. Advised by one man to test soil and add soil activator, as the soil may be sterile. Help. What am I doing wrong? The plant is so beautiful! I want to grow it successfully. I'm a new gardner and am frustrated at the number of plants I've lost.

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 bloo...Read Moreming 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 th...Read Moreem 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...Read More 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 pur...Read Moreple 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 ...Read Morebrought 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. ...Read MoreIt 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 ...Read Moreroots 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...Read More/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...Read More 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 habi...Read Moret 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.DO...Read MoreN`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...Read More 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.