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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Lamiaceae (Labiatae) (Mints) |
| Origin: Crete (Mediterranean |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Year-round |
| Height: 1-2 feet |
| Width: 4-6 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Phlomis lanata (Small Jerusalem Sage) - A low compact shrub 1 to 2 feet tall by 4 to 6 feet or more wide with small 1/2 to 1 inch long rounded wooly gray-green leaves that have attractive small raised dimples on the upper surface between leaf veins. The lemon-yellow flowers, arranged in several whorls, rise just above the foliage from early spring through late fall, but heaviest bloom is in late spring to mid-summer. Plant in full sun to light shade with occasional to very little summer water - this plant is quite drought tolerant. Cold tolerant to at least 18 degrees F and listed as hardy throughout most winters in the British Isles. The wooly leaves make it resistant to deer predation and rabbits also seem to leave it alone as well. Phlomis lanata is endemic to Crete, where it can be found from sea level to 5,000 feet in elevation growing in rocky soils along cliffs and in clearings in cypress woodlands and within the garigue, the vegetation type we call "chaparral" here in California, "fynbos" in South Africa, "mallee" in Australia and "matorral" in Chile. It received the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Award of Garden Merit in 2002. A 20 year old planting along the road in front of our nursery attests to this plant durability and how big it can get over this amount of time - while only 18 inches tall it covers an area about 12 by 12 feet. The name for the genus dates back to the first century AD from the Greek physician Dioscorides use of the word to describe some plants in the genus and it thought to originate from the Greek word meaning "flame" because the leaves of some species were used for lamp wicks. The specific epithet means wooly in reference to the hairs covering most parts of this plant. We got our first plant of Phlomis lanata from Native Sons Nursery in Arroyo Grande, California in 1987 and have been growing this wonderful plant ever since.
This information about Phlomis lanata displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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