How does your garden grow? 'La Favorita': the name says it all

The Spanish call it 'La Favorita', 'Cedrón de Monte' and 'Chaparro Blanco', English common names include Bee Brush (or Bush), White Brush, Privet Lippia and Jazminillo. The botanical name for this aromatic shrub is Aloysia gratissima and it is part of the Verbenaceae family of which their are around 35 species. The other well known Aloysia is Acitrodora or Lemon verbena.

It is native to Southern Texas and Northern Mexico and was introduced to Europe by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 17th century.

The Aloysia is named after Maria Luisa of Parma, eldest daughter of King Louis XV and wife of King Charles IV of Spain. She was notorious for her many male admirers (although she was corpulent and had no teeth) and was rumoured to have murdered her daughter-in-law by giving her poison although the cause of her death was more likely to have been tuberculosis.

However, the plant that bears her name is poisonous only to horses, mules and donkeys; has teeth, well the ends of the branches are very sharp; and grows to a good size, about 2.5 metres tall by about 1.5 metres wide. It is very attractive to bees and butterflies.

Once mature it forms a loose, rounded shape but can be trimmed regularly to make a hedge or grown up a wall. Aloysia adapts to most types of soil, it is drought resistant once established and resistant to cold. The branches, if left to get long, are quite brittle and will need some protection in strong winds.

It is semi-evergreen perennial and has dark green leaves sprouting from squarish, grey stems. The flowers form on racemes and have a strong vanilla scent. The flowering season is very long, from March into November, and after rain the shrub will bloom even more profusely. It likes situations with full sun but will tolerate some shade.

Propagation is by seed, allow seed pods to dry on the plant and then split open the pods and keep to sow in the spring. Cuttings can also be taken in the spring or early summer.

Aloysia gratissima was used traditionally in an infusion for treating headaches, bronchitis and nervous system disorders such as depression. In Mexico the essential oils are used to make a perfume and in Brazil the leaves are made into a tea to treat digestive and respiratory illnesses.

Source: Sur in English

Date: March 2nd to 8th 2012
Author: Denise Bush

Web: www.surinenglish.com