Phlomis Hill Phlo - Jerusalem sage

Phlomis Hill Phlo is a hybrid Jerusalem sage with very soft tones, combining silver evergreen foliage with a pastel pink flowering. Its low, regular growth forms a compact and very bright clump. A good dry garden or Mediterranean rockery plant, it can also be grown in a pot. Drought-tolerant, wind-resistant and low-maintenance, its refined presence will be appreciated all year round.

The Phlomis genus, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, includes over a hundred species of aromatic perennials and shrubs, related to sages. They grow wild on the rocky hillsides, garrigue and scrub vegetation of the eastern Mediterranean basin, as well as in some regions of Western Asia. In these dry, sunny landscapes, they grow in stony, poor, often calcareous, well-drained soils. And this is how they should be grown in the garden.
HILL PHLO cov is a hybrid horticultural variety belonging to the group of medium-hardy Mediterranean shrubby phlomis of the italica, lanata or purpurea type, with evergreen foliage. It is a woody perennial with a bushy, ball-shaped habit, rarely exceeding 40 cm in height and 40 to 50 cm in width in open ground. Its quadrangular stems branch from the base and renew themselves regularly. Its deep, well-developed root system anchors the plant firmly and allows it to withstand long dry periods after two or three years of establishment. Its foliage is one of its best assets. The opposite, entire, oval to slightly lanceolate leaves measure 4 to 7 cm long. They are thick, slightly waffled, covered with a fine down which makes them soft to the touch and gives them that slightly silvery glaucous green hue.
Flowering occurs between May and August, depending on the climate. The inflorescences are characteristic of the genus: whorls of flowers, i.e., tight rings around the stem, arranged in tiers. Each flower measures 2 to 3 cm long, featuring an upper "galea" and a more open lower lip. In HILL PHLO, the flowers are a soft, slightly mauve pink, highlighted by the silver foliage. The flowers are rich in pollen and nectar. This variety does not produce suckers: the clump widens slowly from the base and stays in place.

Phlomis HILL PHLO is a plant for a Mediterranean climate, not too cold in winter, very dry in summer. Plant it on a slope, in a rockery, a gravel bed or a low border in full sun. In a large pot on the terrace, it forms a very decorative silver cushion that can be sheltered from frost in winter. It can be combined with taller phlomis or other Mediterranean plants. You can plant it in front of a more vertical Phlomis purpurea, or a Phlomis x cytherea with very grey foliage, mixed with globe thistles (Echinops) and Stipa pennata. In a very rocky setting, a few low-growing rockroses (Cistus x florentinus Repens, Cistus Grayswood Pink) create a scene that will require no watering and very little maintenance.

It is said that the name Phlomis comes from the Greek "phlox", flame, referring to the ancient use of the leaves of certain species as wicks for oil lamps, which is the origin of their English nickname "lampwick plant". This little story reminds us of the ancient link between these plants and the dry landscapes of the Mediterranean basin.