Limoniastrum monopetalum

Limoniastrum monopetalum, also known as the Great sea lavender or Sea lavender, is a sub-shrub of the Mediterranean coast that is becoming rare, protected in France, and its propagation is regulated. It is a beautiful plant with a spreading bushy habit, lovely glaucous evergreen foliage in winter, and a long mauve flowering in summer. It deserves to be welcomed in the garden, especially in very dry regions where it excels. It is a perfect companion for dune plants. You can plant it in full sun in rockeries, on slopes, in elevated flower beds, where the soil is well-drained.

Limoniastrum monopetalum is a small bush of the Plumbaginaceae family. It is endemic to the coasts of Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Côte d'Azur, present in Corsica, in southern European countries, and naturalized in the Balearic Islands and North Africa. Its natural habitat, threatened by the pressure of tourist developments on the Mediterranean coast, corresponds to sandy beaches and dunes and stony, even chalky soils. It is a plant well adapted to drought that still tolerates cold temperatures quite well under good growing conditions (down to -10/-12°C (14/10.4 °F) at its coldest). Sea lavender forms a fairly dense bush that reaches an average height of 75 cm (29.5 in) and a width of 80-90 cm. Its base is woody and its stems become rigid over time. The blue-green leaves are sometimes rough to the touch, especially near the sea, because the salt absorbed by the roots is excreted through the leaves. They are fleshy, leathery, narrow, slightly spatulate, upright, slightly embracing on the stems. This foliage persists in winter. Flowering begins in June and continues until August-September in the form of spikes appearing at the top of the stems. The flowers are grouped in pairs, have 5 petals and measure 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in diameter. Their mauve colour turns to mauve-pink and fades over time. After pollination, small pear-shaped fruits are formed.

Limoniastrum monopetalum is a plant perfectly adapted to coastal areas and drought. It can be used in rockeries, on well-drained slopes, but also in elevated flower beds to border an alley for example. In a dry garden, create a beautiful scene by mixing the foliage and scents of lavenders (blue, white, pink), rosemary (creeping or erect), Atriplex, Leucophyllums, cistus... Its association with Polygala myrtifolia and Teucrium fruticans Azureum is also very successful. It can also be grown in large pots, with good drainage and abundant but spaced watering, allowing the substrate to dry out between waterings.