Monardella villosa (coyote mint)

Coyote Mint

A two foot high and three feet wide evergreen with grey green leaves and light purple flower clusters that bloom in the summer.   This plant smells like a minty toothpaste and was used by Spanish as cure for sore throats.  Plant in paths or in front of larger shrubs where their fragrance can be appreciated and butterflies can be observed. Use with other low growing perennials, annuals, native grasses, or succulents including: Chinese Houses (Colllinsia heterophylla), Monkeyflower (Mimulus sp.), Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), Yellow-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium californicum), groundcover Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos sp.), low-growing Buckwheats (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens or umbellatum), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), and Dudleya sp.

- Plant in full sun to light shade

- Best in well-drained soil, does not need irrigation

- Great companion plant under evergreen oaks

- Drought tolerant

- Attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies

- Deer resistant 

- Hardy up to 15 degrees

-Native to California