Prunella grandiflora Bella Deep Rose - Self-heal

The Prunella grandiflora 'Bella Deep Rose', also known as self-heal or large-flowered self-heal, is a deep pink version of the wild type. Its compact spikes loaded with small nectar-rich flowers adorn its beautiful velvety dark green foliage with greyish highlights, from June to September. This vigorous and hardy montane perennial is ideal in rock gardens or sunny borders. It spreads through creeping stems in cool, rocky, and limestone soils, forming a wonderful semi-evergreen ground cover that requires very little maintenance.

Prunella grandiflora is a cousin of dead-nettles, salvias, and thymes, and belongs to the mint family. It is native to mountainous areas of central and southern Europe, where it can be found growing on limestone soils in more or less dry rocky environments. This semi-evergreen perennial rapidly develops from a creeping stem, producing ascending or erect stems that root at the nodes upon contact with the ground. The 'Bella Deep Rose' 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 bears short and compact spikes of 2 cm (1in) wide flowers, in an intense pink, distinctly above its foliage. This nectar-rich flowering attracts many pollinating insects. The leaves are ovate, velvety, 3 cm (1in) wide, petiolate, entire or dentate, strongly veined, in a beautiful dark green colour.

With its compact and ramified habit, the 'Bella Deep Rose' self-heal is perfect as a ground cover, in borders, rock gardens, or even in containers and pots. The only requirement for successful cultivation is to choose a cool, well-drained soil. This self-heal also performs well in semi-shaded positions, under trees or shrubs, in the company of varieties such as 'Loveliness' in mauve-lavender or 'White Loveliness' in white, or even with the perennial Geranium macrorrhizum for example. It can also be associated with alpine plants such as androsaces, Dianthus erinaceus, erodiums, or the perennial Geranium cinereum.