Prunella grandiflora Altenberg Rosa - Self-heal

The Prunella grandiflora 'Altenberg Rosa', also known as the large-flowered selfheal, is a beautiful improvement of the wild type. It is adorned throughout the summer with compact spikes loaded with delicate mauve-lilac flowers, appearing on a semi-evergreen foliage carpet of dark green-grey colour with a velvety aspect. This vigorous and hardy montane perennial is ideal for rock gardens or sunny borders. It spreads through creeping stems in fresh, rocky, and limestone soils, forming a wonderful blanket that requires very little maintenance.

The large-flowered selfheal 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 is found growing on limestone soils in more or less dry rocky environments. This semi-evergreen perennial develops rapidly from a creeping stem, sending up ascending stems that root at the nodes in contact with the ground. This variety forms a slightly spreading, ramified basal tuft, 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8in) in height, slowly spreading over time. Flowering occurs from May-June to August-September depending on the climate. The plant produces short and compact spikes of 2 cm (1in) wide flowers, light lavender blue in color, tinged with violet, distinctly above its foliage. This nectar-rich flowering attracts many pollinating insects. The leaves are ovate, velvety, 3 cm (1in) wide, petiolate, entire or toothed, strongly veined, with a beautiful dark green color.

With its compact and ramified habit, the 'Altenberg Rosa' selfheal 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 fresh but well-drained soil. This selfheal also performs well in semi-shaded exposure, under trees or bushes, in the company of perennial geranium macrorrhizum for example. It can also be associated with alpine plants such as androsaces, Dianthus erinaceus, erodiums, or perennial geranium cinereum.