Erysimum linifolium Bowless Mauve - Wallflower

Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve' is a shrub wallflower whose pleasantly fragrant mauve flowering is almost continuous from spring to autumn depending on the climate. This woody Mediterranean perennial shrub gives its full splendour in sunny, dry, and rocky areas of the garden. It bears grey-blue foliage. Spikes of purple flowers appear at the end of its stems. They bloom successively, elegantly and discreetly accompanying all the garden's flowerings throughout the seasons.

Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve' belongs to the Brassicaceae family, formerly known as crucifers: it is a cousin of cabbage, rapeseed, and mustard. 'Bowles's Mauve' is a famous horticultural hybrid derived mainly from Erysimum linifolium, a Spanish and Portuguese botanical species. Hardier than its parent, 'Bowles's Mauve' can withstand short frosts of around -12°C (10.4°F) in well-drained soil. It will age best in rather poor and rocky soil.

This woody undershrub quickly forms a rounded and dense bush, resembling a large cushion 80cm (32in) to 1m (3ft) high and 1 to 1.2m (3 to 4ft) wide. The evergreen foliage is gathered at the top of the stems. It consists of narrow, lanceolate, undulate, bluish-grey leaves ranging from 2 to 10cm (1 to 4in) long. The flowering period of this shrub depends on the climate and therefore the regions: it blooms in mild but not too hot weather, usually from March to June. Heat and summer drought can temporarily halt its flowering. In this case, prune the plant after the first flowering period and it will bloom again as soon as the temperatures drop in September. It will continue to bloom until the first frosts. In very mild climates, Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve' will flower all year round. The small, 4-petalled, fragrant mauve flowers are gathered in long clusters measuring 12cm (5in), blooming successively one after the other, and then giving way to fruits called siliques containing numerous seeds.

Like many Mediterranean plants, it is a little sensitive to cold and damp. 'Bowles's Mauve' is perfectly comfortable and more durable in mild regions, even ones that are dry in summer. It is a sober, undemanding, and floriferous perennial that has its place in a rock garden, above a wall, in a raised bed, or in sunny borders; wherever the soil is well-drained. It can be planted with roses, lavender, rosemary, perennial geraniums, tulips, peonies, Euphorbia, linaria, Lespedeza, cistus, grasses, California poppies, and many others. It adapts well to cultivation in large pots to decorate a patio or balcony. You can also pick the flower spikes to compose beautiful bouquets, with lilies, roses, or lilacs, for example.