Plectranthus Nicoletta

Plectranthus Nicoletta

This vigorous groundcover (ht 15 cm) has beautiful velvet silver foliage and forms an excellent carpet in either sun or in any degree of shade. Like all the Plectranthus clan, it grows in very ordinary soil and is quite drought tolerant, but is at its lushest when it is well watered! It can cover quite a wide territory if given its head - trim it back at any time if it goes beyond its boundaries. In autumn, it has pretty violet flowers on tiny spires, but the leaves are the main attraction.

Flower spire of Plectranthus Nicoletta, in the garden of my sister Holly in Sydney

Flower spire of Plectranthus Nicoletta, in the garden of my sister Holly in Sydney

It grows well beneath shrubs such as Camellia sasanqua or Hydrangea in shaded spots, and looks pretty with rhizomatous Begonia, which are also very useful groundcovers in darker parts of the garden, with a multitude of different shapes and colours in their leaves. It can cascade over walls. 'Nicoletta' looks a lot like Plectranthus argentatus, an Australian rainforest native, but I don't think it is derived from the same species. 'Nicoletta' is sensitive to extreme cold, but survives the winter in most Sydney suburbs. All Plectranthus need to be replaced by new cuttings every so often as they get a bit straggly after a few years. They are easily propagated.