| Hello, What is the maintenance requirements for the Phlomis lanata? Does it require yearly cutting back of the stems. If the plant was not cut back yearly, would it look brown and less aesthetically pleasing? Thank you, Carmen |
| Phlomis lanata, or Jerusalem Sage, is a small evergreen shrub to 2 to 3 ft high and wide. The leaves are dusky green with a rough-textured upper surface, about 1 to 2 inches long and kind of tongue-shaped. The underside of the leaves and the stems are densely felted and light gray. The shrub as a whole has a tidy appearance. The flowers are small whorls of bright, butter yellow that are set off nicely by the shades of gray on the stems they surround. This is a plant for mostly sunny situations, and combines well with other Mediterranean type plants. The bloom period is in the spring, but with a light clipping of the spent flowering stems and a little water, more bloom is likely. If you do not cut the plant back annually, the stems will become leggy and bare because all the new growth will be at the tips of the stems. |
