Stunning purple bell shaped flowers absolutely cover this fragrant Australian native. Rising to eight feet or more, this hardwood shrub with its tiny dark green leaves is a necessity for perennial gardens in mild winter areas where the temperature doesn’t go below 20 degrees. We had one reach 8 feet tall and last five years here in zone 8. Then one year it just died. We could never attribute its death to any particular reason. In colder areas, they can be grown in containers and enjoyed either as an annual or brought into a well lit room for the winter. Supplemental lighting is always a good idea when trying to over winter high light level plants.

The purple flowers are tinted with pink which makes an attractive complement to gray shrubs and other pink flowers. Plant with Dwarf Blue Butterfly Bush and Magic Carrousel Miniature Rose for a continuous riot of color. As the early spring flowers of the Australian Mint Bush wane the Dwarf Butterfly Bush explodes and the Magic Carrousel Rose with its bicolor, pink and dark pink flowers, bloom until frost. The mint flavored foliage is fragrant and culinary, something to experiment with…