Recommended for your garden in the south of Spain: Clinopodium vulgare

Mildly aromatic and said to have an aroma similar to basil when crushed, the bright-green, slightly toothed leaves can be used fresh or dried in salads and to make a refreshing tea

Denise Bush

Malaga

Friday, 21 February 2025, 11:41

Clinopodium vulgare is a mound-forming, perennial herb native to most of Europe, south and west Africa, Siberia and parts of Asia.

Common names include wild basil and cushion calamint, the latter being more accurate as it is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae.

Mildly aromatic and said to have an aroma similar to basil when crushed, the bright-green, slightly toothed leaves can be used fresh or dried in salads and to make a refreshing tea. They are said to be a cardiotonic and also an aid to digestion.

The flowers, which will attract lots of bees and butterflies, form in whorls at the ends of the square stems, usually in the leaf axils, at the end of the summer. They are the typical shape of all the mint family and range in colour from light pink and mauve to dark purple.

The dense foliage can reach one metre high by around half a metre spread and is ideal for use as ground cover and in natural plantings. It can also be used in mass plantings to restrict weeds and to fix soil prone to erosion.

Clinopodium vulgare (synonym Calamintha vulgare); is moderately drought tolerant once established but will flourish if watered regularly during hot spells. The soil must be free draining, this plant does not like saturated soil, and can be given fertiliser once a month during the growing period. It can be planted in direct sunlight or partial shade, although in shade it may become leggy.

After flowering it can be pruned back to give it an even shape and any diseased or dead wood should be cut out.

It can be propagated from seed in the spring, but in colder areas, as it is not frost hardy, is best brought on in pots indoors until a sufficient root system has developed to plant it in the open ground.

It can also be propagated by division in the early spring.

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