Scutellaria suffrutescens

Scutellaria suffrutescens is a perennial ground cover, forming a cushion. From spring to the first frost, it is covered with raspberry-pink helmet-shaped flowers, perfectly highlighted against dense, semi-evergreen, dark green foliage. It is an ideal plant for limestone and well-drained borders and rockeries, in full sun or very light shade, in warm and dry conditions. It also performs well in pots.

Native to the southern United States and northern Mexico, cherry skullcap is a rarity belonging to the vast Lamiaceae family, which includes many aromatic plants such as mint, rosemary, and thyme, as well as ornamentals like dead nettles and bugles, all of which are good garden plants. This species forms a prostrate and dense ground cover cushion, 20cm (8in) tall and 60cm (24in) in diameter, with small, semi-evergreen dark green leaves in not too harsh climates. From June to October, it displays a profusion of small flowers in an intense raspberry-pink. While their helmet shape is typical of the Scutellaria genus, their colour is quite unusual: most skullcaps are mauve to blue-violet, rarely yellow.

Scutellaria suffrutescens grows in dry and rocky high-altitude areas. It can withstand temperatures from -15 to -20°C (5 to -4°F) in well-drained soil, especially in winter. It prefers calcareous soils. It tolerates light shade in the afternoon, especially in hot climates, but prefers full sun. If your soil is too heavy, consider lightening it with coarse sand and incorporating stones into the planting hole. However, the plant's lifespan will be shorter in overly rich and clayey soil.

It makes an excellent ground cover plant for sunny rockeries, dry borders, and of course, in pots with well-drained substrate. Combine it with other plants that have the same requirements, such as thyme (Thymus vulgaris, T. pseudolanuginosus, T. capitatus), Spanish daisies, groundcover sun roses, or Erigeron karvinskianus. Its compatriot, Agave neomexicana, also makes a very good neighbour!