Common Name: badja peak mint bush
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Lamiaceae
Zone: 8 to 10
Height: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: May to July
Bloom Description: White to pale lilac
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Hedge
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Fragrant, Evergreen
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Deer
Culture
Winter hardy to USDA Zones 7/8-10. Grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade. Established plants have good tolerance for drought. Likes sandy soils.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Prostanthera cuneata, commonly called alpine mint bush, is a compact, fast-growing, rounded evergreen perennial shrub of the mint family that typically grows to 3’ tall and as wide. It is native to alpine and subalpine regions of Victoria and NSW, primarily being found in heath and shrubland areas between 4000 to 5000’ in elevation.
White to pale lilac, trumpet-shaped flowers with distinctive purple to red spots in the throat bloom in late spring to early summer in terminal clusters. Small dark green leaves (to 1 1/2” long) have cuneate bases and rounded tips. Leaves are highly fragrant when touched or bruised.
Genus name comes from the Greek name prostithemi meaning to append or add to, prosthema meaning appendage and anthera meaning anther in allusion to a spur-like appendage on the back of the anther.
Specific epithet comes from the Greek word cuneata meaning wedge-shaped in reference to leaf shape.
‘Badja Peak’ is a slightly taller shrub (to 5-6’ tall) with slightly larger leaves (to 3” long). It is sometimes listed as a cultivar of Prostanthera lasianthos.
Problems
No known serious insect or disease problems.
Uses
Ornamental flowering shrub or garden specimen. Hedge. Containers.