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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.
This information about Agonis flexuosa 'Jedda's Dream' 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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