Acinos alpinus

Throughout summer, Acinos alpinus is covered with small spikes of pinkish-purple flowers with a white marked lip. Known as calamint or alpine savory, this creeping perennial is ideal for covering dry rocky ground and accentuating sunny borders. It is vigorous and hardy, but it does not live for more than a few years. Its drought tolerance and abundance of fragrant flowers are well worth including it in the garden. It is a little-known plant, but it is extremely charming. It requires little maintenance. It is perfect in dry and rocky gardens. 

Also known as Calamintha alpina, this small mountain basil is an aromatic plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is a cousin of thyme, sage, rosemary, and true savory (Satureja montana). It is native to mountainous areas of southern and central Europe, where it blooms on rocky scree slopes. Its summer flowering is pinkish-purple to violet, typical of plants in this family. The flowers are small (1 to 2cm (1in) long), bilabiate, and display a prominent lower lip with white markings. They appear from July to September, depending on the climate, on a carpet of small rounded and lanceolate leaves that will not exceed 10 to 20cm (4 to 8in) in height, but will spread over 50cm (20in) in diameter or more on woody stems that root in contact with the ground. The tubular flowers are arranged in upright whorls of 3 to 8 and are borne on short stems above medium green foliage, which is aromatic when crushed. In mild climates, the foliage is evergreen.

Its ease of cultivation, generous flowering, and creeping habit make Acinos alpinus an essential plant for dry gardens, mineral landscapes, or alpine settings. It is superb in rockeries or on walls, where it is adorned with a bright green moss and then a carpet of violet flowers, just like aubrietas, catmints, or wall bellflowers. Combine it in borders with yellow phlomis, ballotas, or red shrubby salvias. It also grows very well in troughs or pots. Paired with small sedums, houseleeks, or saxifrages, Acinos alpinus can also be used on green roofs or walls.