Prunella grandiflora Freelander Blue - Self-heal

Punella grandiflora Freelander Blue, also known as Self-Heal or Large-Flowered Self-Heal Freelander Blue, is a beautiful improvement on the wild type. In the year of sowing, it produces compact spikes loaded with deep and bright violet-blue flowers, over a long period. This vigorous and hardy mountain perennial is ideal for rock gardens or sunny borders. It spreads through creeping stems in cool or even rocky and calcareous soils, forming a wonderful blanket adorned with semi-evergreen foliage in a beautiful fir-green colour.

Large-flowered self-heal is a cousin of dead-nettles, salvias, and thymes, belonging to the mint family. It is native to mountainous areas of central and southern Europe, where it grows on calcareous soils in dry and rocky environments. This semi-evergreen perennial develops from a creeping stump, sending up ascending or erect stems that root at the nodes upon contact with the ground. The 'Freelander Blue' variety forms a slightly spreading, ramified basal tuft, 15 cm (5.9 in) tall, slowly spreading over time. It flowers from May to August, about 100 days after sowing. The plant produces short and compact spikes of 2 cm (0.8 in) wide flowers, in a deep violet-blue colour, displayed clearly above its foliage. The leaves are ovate, villous, 3 cm (1.2 in) wide, petiolate, entire or dentate, and strongly veined, in a beautiful dark green colour.

With its compact and ramified habit, the 'Freelander Blue' self-heal is perfect as a ground cover, in borders, rock gardens, or even in containers and pots. The only condition for successful cultivation is to choose a cool, well-drained soil. This self-heal is an award-winning variety that will thrive in sunny or partially shaded exposures. It can be associated with alpine plants such as androsaces, Dianthus erinaceus, erodiums, or perennial Geranium cinereum.