Desert mint

Monardella odoratissima

Description

The Desert mint is a sprawling perennial herb that is mostly native to sagebrush scrub, yellow pine forest and lodgepole pine forest plant communities of California. It has distinctive whorl-like flowers ranging in color from white to purple; long leaves and highly fragrant foliage when crushed. Like most perennial plants, this species can be grown in ornamental gardens to enjoy the seasonal display of color and attraction to birds and butterflies. It is a short-lived species that provides good landscape value for 2-3 years.

Desert mint is adapted to sunny and warm planting spaces in the Inland Empire where it can be sustained with low amounts of summer water. It is easily combined with monkey flower, penstemon, buckwheat and sage for a colorful and diverse hummingbird and butterfly garden. Loam soils and periodic summer water helps achieve the most attractive foliage character and flowering performance.

Plant Type: Perennial
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Spreading, Sprawling, Dense
Growth Rate: Short-lived, Fast
Foliage Color: Bright green
Flower Color: Purple, Lavender, White
Flower Season: Summer, Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Loam
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, All day sun, Partial sun
Function: Fragrant foliage, Wildlife value, Attracts butterflies, Hummingbird plant, Small spaces, Grouped, Flowering accent plant, Container plant, California native, Borders
Height: 1 ft.
Width: 3 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.