Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis fruticosa) 

Today’s Interesting Plant comes from a friends garden. I was visiting Keri from the Animalbytes blog and came across this wonderful phlomis in her garden. It is quite a striking plant, while also being water wise and a great attractor for insects and hummingbirds.

Jerusalem sage

Photo: Douglas E. Welch, A Gardener’s Notebook

Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem sage[1]) is a species of flowering plant of the Lamiaceae familynative to Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Turkey, and regions of the former Yugoslavia.

It is a small evergreen shrub, up to 1 m (3 ft) tall by 1.5 m (5 ft) wide. The sage-like, aromatic leaves are oval, 2-4 inches long, wrinkled, grey-green with white undersides, and covered with fine hairs. Light yellow, tubular flowers, 3 cm in length, grow in whorls of 20 in short spikes in summer.[2]

The specific epithet fruticosa means “shrubby”.[3]

It is popular as an ornamental plant, and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society‘s Award of Garden Merit.[4]

As a garden escape, it has naturalised in parts of South West England.[5] —  Wikipedia

More information on Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis fruticosa):
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Previously in the Interesting Plant series: 

Interesting Plant is a series from A Gardener’s Notebook blog and podcast that highlights the most interesting plants I find in my Internet and real-world travels — Douglas