Elsholtzia stauntonii - Mint Bush

Elsholtzia stauntonii owes its nickname of Mint Bush to the menthol aroma exhaled by its leaves when crushed. A woody perennial shrub with a beautiful candelabra-like silhouette, this bush bristles at the end of summer with upright, pink-lilac floral spikes, and foliage that becomes shiny later in the season. It is a non-invasive, unusual sun-loving plant, easy to grow in well-drained soil, interesting for its late flowering and autumn colours that match well with asters and shrubby salvias.

Elsholtzia is a plant of the lamiaceae family, which includes a large number of aromatic plants such as thyme, lavender, sage, and rosemary. Its origins are in northern China. It is a fast-growing bushy perennial plant with a woody base, whose stems are often cut back by the cold. Its habit is upright and dense, composed of vertical and branching stems originating from the base. At maturity and under good growing conditions, Elsholtzia stauntonii will easily reach 1m (3ft) high, even 1.50m (5ft), with a spread of 80cm (32in) to 1.20m (4ft). The square-sectioned stems bear deciduous, opposite leaves, 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) long, with strongly toothed edges, an elongated triangular shape, hairy and medium green. They turn beautiful shades of red to purple in October and are loaded with fragrant essential oils, with a menthol scent revealed when crushed. The nectar-rich flowering begins towards the end of August and lasts until October. It is the current year's stems that produce long, narrow, and dense flower spikes at their tips. The tiny flowers are tightly packed together and have a colour between pink and lavender. They are tubular, very hairy, and adorned with a prominent pistil that gives the inflorescence a fluffy appearance.

Elsholtzia stauntonii resembles a large candelabra and its design catches the eye, as much as the superb colour association between the flowers and the autumn foliage. More elegant than a Hebe, exotic like a viper's bugloss, it is also a robust, hardy plant, undemanding with regards to soil as long as it is well-drained. In addition to all these qualities, it has a good tolerance to summer drought when well-established. For all these reasons, the Mint Bush deserves to be planted more in our gardens. Plant it in full sun, in a large shrub border, on a slope, in a large rockery, or in the background of a herbaceous border. Beautiful scenes can be created by associating it with evergreen ceanothus, Vitis vinifera purpurea (the dyeing grape), Caryopteris, Perowskia, salvias, tree clover Lespedeza, and large autumn asters like Aster laevis or Aster turbinellus. The overall look can be lightened with grasses such as pink-flowered Muhlenbergia capillaris, Eragrostis spectabilis, or trichodes Summer Strain, Miscanthus sinensis Yacu jima... the choice is vast, as is the palette of autumn colours.

The Mint Bush can also be grown in a large pot or container on the terrace, with careful attention paid to watering and feeding.