|
Agonis flexuosa 'Jedda's Dream' (Dwarf Red Peppermint Tree) - A medium to large upright evergreen bush to 6 to 9 feet tall with red-purple foliage. This plant has a dense bushy growth habit with strong basal branching and is smaller and denser than the red leafed form of Agonis we grow, 'Jervis Bay Afterdark'. As with other Agonis this plant has a distinct peppermint aroma when crushed and, though this cultivar has not been observed to bloom as yet, likely mature plants will have clusters of small white flowers with pink petal bases that appear in May to June.
Plant in full sun to light shade in a well-drained soil with regular to occasional watering - moderately drought tolerant along the coast once established but is more lush with occasional deep irrigation. Should be tolerant of windy coastal conditions. Cold tolerance has not been well documented on this cultivar yet but we have had more experience with the parent cultivar and have noted it to have some tip damage possible below 28° F and stem damage at temperatures between 20-25° F. In the January 2007 cold spell that hit California we had foliage and young tip damage on 'Jervis Bay Afterdark' at 26° F but plants rebounded completely and the species has been noted to tolerate occasional short duration winter temperatures to around 20 F so this plant should have a similar tolerance. For more information about the species see our listing of Agonis flexuosa.
Agonis flexuosa 'Jedda's Dream' was discovered and selected by James and Jacqueline Koppman of Huskisson from a mutation of their Agonis flexuosa 'Jervis Bay After Dark' in 1999 at Falls Creek, New South Wales, Australia. While 'Jervis Bay After Dark' is characterized by its upright semi-weeping habit with light to medium basal branching and is a tall plant, 'Jedda's Dream' was selected for its good red-purple foliage with strong basal branching and shorter bushy form due to shorter internodes and leaves. Flowering has not been observed on this cultivar but likely it will have the same spring-occurring white flowers as the species. An application for plant breeders' rights for 'Jedda's Dream' was been lodged with the Australian Plant Breeders Rights Office, and was accepted on 15 Aug. 2006 (under Application No. 2006/222) and this plant was marketed in the US by Ball Horticulture. We first grew it in 2009 but it became unavailable and our last sales of it were in 2012.
Information displayed on this page about Agonis flexuosa 'Jedda's Dream' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
|
