Why We Should All Be Growing Plectranthus

The Victorian favorite is finding justly deserved favour again, reveals John Hoyland

- John Hoyland

It is always exciting when a group of plants that has long been neglected begins to emerge from the shadows. Plectranthus (even the name sounds unfamiliar) were popular with the Victorians both as plants for bedding out in the summer and as year-round pot plants in conservatories and greenhouses. Valued for their patterned or marbled evergreen foliage and elegant flowers coupled with easy cultivation the family was the mainstay of many Victorian parks and gardens. The ebb and flow of garden fashions has meant that, until recently, plectranthus were seen mainly as trailing foliage in hanging baskets or as sad house plants in dull waiting rooms.

Plectranthus range in size from prostrate types barely a few inches high to giants that can reach several yards tall. The low, spreading forms tend to have heart-shaped leaves that are delicately marbled or veined. These will drape over the edges of containers or spread themselves around trees and shrubs to form an attractive groundcover. None of the genera is hardy in Britain, so needs to be treated as bedding plants or grown in a conservatory or greenhouse, at least during the winter. After a few years, plants can become woody and unattractive, so take cuttings to ensure you have fresh, healthy plants.

Taller forms provide dramatic presence, both in the garden and in the conservatory, particularly in late summer and autumn, alongside salvias and other tender perennials. My Plectranthus ecklonii reaches 5ft tall and its soft-blue flowers are perfect partners to the near-black flowers of