Whorled clary

Whorled clary: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact, bushy clump 0.6 m tall and about 50 cm wide, with upright flower stems.

Foliage

Heart-shaped to oval, 5–15 cm, scalloped and softly hairy; fresh green, mostly at the base of the plant.

Flower

Small lilac to blue-purple lipped flowers in dense whorls stacked along the stem, from June to September.

Calyces

The purple calyces stay on after flowering and give colour for weeks more.

Roots

A fibrous root system; the clump widens slowly and self-seeds gently.

Flowering: June–September · Plants: March–May and September · Pruning: March and July

Why grow it?

• Flowers from June to September, especially if you cut it back after the first flush.
• Drought-tolerant and generous: a good choice for a sunny, dry border or a gravel garden.
• Bees, bumblebees and butterflies visit the whorls in large numbers.
• The stacked lilac whorls give a lovely vertical structure in the border.
• Stays compact and needs no support.
• Easy: little maintenance and attractive for years.

Whorled clary: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: it flowers best and stays compact.
• Free-draining, poor soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to normally moist: it tolerates drought well, but not prolonged wetness.
• An open, sunny spot in a bed or gravel garden; also good along a path or low wall.
• Allow 40–50 cm of space per plant.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.6 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Roses: A classic: the lilac whorls go well with pink, white and red roses.
• Yarrow: The same sun and dry soil; yellow or white flower heads as a contrast.
• Ornamental grasses: Fine stems such as fescue bring calm and movement next to the upright whorls.
• Catmint: Lilac flowers that bloom for a long time and cover the lower part of the stems.

Whorled clary: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September.

1. Plant in March–May or in September, when the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball; improve heavy clay with a little sand or grit.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave 40–50 cm between plants and plant preferably in groups of three or five.
5. Water in at once and afterwards only if it stays dry for long.

Care

Water

In the first year, water occasionally in dry weather. After that, extra water is rarely needed.

Feeding

Usually not needed. On rich soil the plant becomes floppy and falls apart.

Mulching

A thin layer of gravel or coarse sand keeps the crown dry; no thick organic mulch.

Cutting back

Cut back after the first flowering (July) for a second flush until September.

Spent flowers

Leave the last calyces for the autumn look, or cut them off to limit self-seeding.

Tip: Cut the stems back by half after the first flowering: it will flower again until September. Provide well-drained soil, as it rots away in a wet winter.

Whorled clary: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and July.

When: A first time in March, before the new shoots; a second time in July, after the first flowering.

How:

• In March, cut last year’s dead stems down to just above the ground.
• In July, when the first flowering is over, cut all flower stems back by half or by a third.
• Water a little after cutting back; new flower stems appear for flowering until September.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In March–April or September, lift the clump and divide it with a spade into pieces with roots and shoots. Replant at once and water.

Cuttings

In May–June take cuttings of 8–10 cm from non-flowering shoots, remove the lower leaves and insert them in free-draining cuttings compost. They root within a few weeks.

Seed

Sow in a tray in spring, barely covering the seed. It self-seeds gently, but selections such as ‘Purple Rain’ do not always come true.

Whorled clary: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, down to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• Wet feet are more dangerous than cold: make sure water drains away well in winter, especially on heavy clay.
• Leave the seedheads and the rosette of leaves in winter; cut them off in March.

Diseases and pests

• Rot from wet: Brown, soft plant after a wet winter. Provide free-draining soil, put gravel around the crown and avoid too thick a mulch.
• Floppy, splaying clump: In a spot that is too rich or shady. More sun, less feed and cutting back after the first flowering help.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in damp, stuffy summers. Give it space, water at the base and cut off affected leaves.
• Slugs: Young leaves are nibbled in spring. Pick slugs off in the evening or lay a barrier of coarse sand.

Through the year

• March: Cut off old stems. Plant or divide.
• April: Plant. Watch for slugs.
• May: Plant. Take cuttings.
• June: Flowering starts. Water in very long dry spells.
• July: Cut back after the first flowering for a second flush.
• August: Second flowering.
• September: Flowering. Plant or divide.
• October: Leave the spent calyces as autumn decoration.
• November: Rest. Make sure water drains away.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The species name verticillata comes from the Latin verticillatus, ‘in whorls’, after the flowers set in tiers around the stem.
• The purple calyces stay on after flowering and extend the colour season.
• It grows naturally in dry grassland and on roadside verges from southern and central Europe to Central Asia.