A clumping South African perennial with narrow, gray-green leaves and clusters of lavender-pink flowers on tall stems from spring into fall. It is tough, low and easy to tuck along walks and beds, though its leaves smell strongly of garlic when crushed.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub schedule in our Landscape Care guide. It tolerates drought, but it blooms more and looks fuller with regular moisture through the warm season. Good drainage matters more than soil type.
Pruning
Cut off spent flower stems to keep it tidy, and remove tired or frost-browned leaves in late winter. Divide crowded clumps every few years.
Pests
Few problems. Snails can chew the leaves in shady, damp beds.
How our designers use it
Edging and borders
Its neat clumps make a low, repeating border along walks, patios and the front of shrub beds.
With roses and lush plantings
Its lavender flowers and gray-green leaves pair well with roses and other lush plantings in courtyards.
Good to know
Around the pool
No thorns and very little litter. The garlic smell is mainly noticeable when leaves are crushed, so we keep it out of spots where people step or brush past it constantly.
