Q: I keep seeing this plant in the garden centers but I am not sure what type of environment it prefers. Can you give me some information on it?

A: The plant you gave me was from the genus Plectranthus, which is being sold all over this area. This plant is from the mint family and has very fragrant leaves. We would classify as an annual for Nassau as its cold hardiness is for zones 9b-11 – remember Nassau County is 8b-9a so these plants are just outside our zone. Once the plants have been established for a year or more they can develop woody stems at the base and can therefore become more resistant to frost damage. The flowers are pink, purple or white and under proper conditions bloom from spring through fall, which means the flowers are seldom damaged by frost. Plectranthus are easily cultivated and require little extra attention or special treatment. It tolerates a wide variety of light conditions but thrive in semi shade, which makes them ideally suited to grow under the shade of trees. Plectranthus are often grown for their attractive foliage, flowers or both and vary in their growth forms from dense prostrate ground covers to sub-shrubs and large shrubs.

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