Phlomis italica

Phlomis italica, Balearic Islands Sage, is a small bushy herbaceous perennial with long soft foliage and showy whorls of pinkish-purple hooded flowers that are arranged at intervals up the flowering stems. The leaves are aromatic and grey-green and create a very pleasing colour combination with the flowers. In the Mediterranean, Phlomis italica is an evergreen shrub but in the UK it is usually best to prune it back hard in the late autumn and treat it as a herbacous perennial.

Balearic Islands Sage is extremely tolerant of drought and dry conditions and requires a warm, sunny aspect and a well-drained soil.

The colouring on the flowers of Phlomis italica is very beautiful and for me it is one of the most attractive of all the Phlomis species.