Plectranthus neochilus (Lobster Flower) - A perennial, aromatic, succulent herb, which grows as a ground-hugging wide spreading mat under 1 foot tall (a little taller in shade or when well watered) with rounded slightly scalloped gray-green foliage and deep blue and purple flowers that rise 3 to 6 inches above the foliage from spring through late fall (some say they bloom year-round). This plant makes an attractive ground cover when not in flower and is spectacular when flowering. It is also useful in hanging baskets and containers. Plant in bright shade to full sun near the coast. Useful in difficult dry sites as long as soil drains adequately. This plant responds well to winter rains and occasional irrigation. Hardy to at least 30 °F and is treated as an annual in colder climates - here in Santa Barbara the plants are often in bloom year-round, including in the dead of winter. The skunky aromatic foliage makes this plant somewhat deer resistant and in South Africa the plant is even thought to repel snakes. A gardener in the San Francisco Bay area also tells us that even snails leave it alone. We have also seen references to it being marketed as a repellent to dogs and then grown under the fictitious, but amusing, name Plectranthus x caninus and it seems to also be around under the name Plectranthus 'Lois Woodhull'. Grows naturally in dry thickets, and rocky woodlands, from the Eastern Cape to the Natal in in South Africa and in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'plektron' meaning a "spur" and 'anthos' meaning "flower" in reference to the spur that is found at the base of the corolla tube of the type species, Plectranthus fruticosus.


The world can use more flowers. Please note that that the plants you are ordering are starter plants, the size varies between each season. If you are looking for full-grown plants, please source your plants somewhere else.

Organically grown starter plants 4" ++ contain roots hand-packed with care.
Shipped in bags with moist organic material
May be cut back to fit in the shipping box

Please make sure you read the shop policy before you place the order. We want happy customers, and we will always work with good buyers. There are very, very few buyers out there who prey on good sellers, trying the tactic of nip-picking (i.e. claiming product description discrepancy) so he or she can rightfully find excuses to claim the product is not as described. For those buyers, please, please stay away from our listings, we really don't want to share our products with you. These are horticultural products, they are not cookie-cutting products. Every plant/seed kernel is variable in different sizes, shapes, forms even in different stages of growth or different than what you think it should be or whatever your research is (or what the internet says).