Peppermint tree

Agonis flexuosa

Description

Please note:

For most situations, we would not recommend installing this plant in new gardens, landscapes, or plantings in southern California.

Our top recommendations to consider instead of this plant are desert willow and pink chitalpa.

This plant profile is included in this site as a reference for two primary reasons:

If you already have this plant in your landscape, this information can be used to know how to care for it.
If you already have this plant in your landscape, you can use this information to learn which of our recommended plants have the same recommended watering needs, making them potential choices for grouping together if you will be adding new plants to the existing area.

In general, instead of this plant, we recommend planting appropriate California native plants whenever possible.

In addition to their beauty, California native plants offer the most additional benefits beyond just low water use, including habitat for the birds, butterflies, and pollinators who evolved here with them. This adds value and beauty in your landscape beyond just a pretty plant, allowing the landscape to actively contribute to the environment instead of just using less water. You can find our top recommended native plant choices on our Plant Finder by selecting “California Native” and learn more about California native plants here.

To learn what exactly California native plants are and how they are different from other low water plants, visit this link.

For visual interest or other reasons, some people may also want to mix in other non-native low-water demanding plant choices even though they do not have the same ecological value as native plants. For that reason, we feature a number of non-native waterwise selections on this site as well. However, we see native plants as the best “go to” for most landscape or garden choices! We encourage people to consider planting at least 50% of their landscape to native plants. See our Garden Designs section or visit our Waterwise Demonstration Garden in Montclair for plenty of inspiration.

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The Peppermint tree grows at a moderate rate into a medium sized tree with dense, evergreen foliage and a distinctive weeping habit. With age it can reach 25-35 ft. tall with an equal spread, and develop a stout trunk and bold branching character. Long narrow green leaves are peppermint spicy-fragrant when crushed and hang from drooping branches. Small white flowers develop in spring, but are not very showy. Trunks and branches are covered with distinctive coarse red-brown bark.

This tree is native to mild coastal climates and habitats of western Australia in areas that receive 32-40 in. of annual precipitation. Soils range from calcareous deposits to beach sands and sandy loam. It is sensitive to frost.

Plant Type: Tree
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Low-branching, Dense, Weeping, Upright
Growth Rate: Slow, Moderate
Foliage Color: Medium green
Flower Color: White
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Silt, Sand, Clay, Calcareous soil
Exposure Adaptations: All day sun
Function: Courtyard and patio tree, Shade Tree, Residential spaces, Parks and open space, Foliage accent plant, Fragrant foliage
Height: 25 ft. – 35 ft.
Width: 25 ft. – 35 ft.

Watering Schedule: Medium

For most situations, we recommend watering once per week after establishment, watering very deeply in summer, less deeply in fall and spring, and even less in winter.

See our recommendations for how much water to apply each time you water, below. Note that these recommendations are intended for inland valley areas of Southern California including the Inland Empire, San Gabriel, and San Fernando Valleys. People in cooler or warmer areas may use this as a baseline but should adjust based on local needs.

Learn how to provide 1” of water to your landscape here, and adjust to provide more or less based on the recommendations above for each time of year.

Seasonal Watering Recommendations

June – August: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 1.25” of irrigation.
September – October: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.75” of irrigation.
November – February: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.5” of irrigation.
March-May: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.75” of irrigation.

Learn how to provide 1” of water to your landscape here, and adjust to provide more or less based on the recommendations above for each time of year.

Adjusting to your local needs

These recommendations for Medium / Moderate water demanding plants were created for Southern California inland valley areas. Southern California areas closer to the coast and along the coast will usually be able to water significantly less during the warm months of the year. For desert areas, check with local experts to be sure plants are appropriate for the area and anticipate needing to water more.

As a very general baseline, people in Los Angeles and similar areas can try setting a schedule of 80% of the in Spring, Summer, and Fall and adjust as necessary based on observation. The difference is less pronounced in the winter months, so we recommend starting with the same recommendations as above for winter. People in cooler coastal areas such as Santa Monica can try using this same approach but adjust to use 75% of the chart recommended minutes for the Spring, Summer, and Fall months.

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 week, possibly longer. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering again.
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.
“Smart timers” or weather sensitive irrigation controllers such as Rachio and Hunter Hydrawise are ideal for watering plants in this category because they will automatically adjust how much they water based on the weather so you do not need to reprogram the timer seasonally. Rebates for these types of irrigation controllers are available through socalwatersmart.com.

May need proper staking when young, only until it can support itself. Remove stakes as early as appropriate so the plant will continue to develop its own strength. These plants are beautiful, and do not require much maintenance, but can suddenly and randomly seemingly die in the garden, so are not the best choice if you are selecting a single shade tree in an important position in the landscape. Plant fall to early spring. Prune late fall into winter (D,S). References

Peppermint tree

Description

Watering Schedule: Medium

Seasonal Watering Recommendations

Adjusting to your local needs

Important Notes

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Peppermint tree

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