Re: Hyptis emoryi

>Hyptis emoryi (desert lavender) needs a hot and dry
>location and good drainage.  Mine got winter kill on the
>tops but the roots are fine as it's coming back.  It's
>native to California and maybe rest of the Southwest for all
>I know.  I've tried cuttings but they died; I suspect the
>mist bed was too wet for them and they rotted.  I never
>water mine in the yard, and it seems quite happy.  It has
>never bloomed or gotten very high, but pictures indicate a
>wandy, rather elegant shrub without much density, perhaps
>about 6 feet high.  Hope this helps.

i successfully rooted this from cuttings last spring.  The plants are now
about 12 inches high in pots and waiting to be planted out.  The cuttings
came from the Anza Borrego desert area (don't ask exactly where!), which is
the desert in Eastern San Diego County.  The plants there grew about 5 ft
high and 3 ft wide with the most incredibly blue flowers I've ever seen --
which is what attracted me to them.  They grew in well-drained sandy soil
(of course), mostly in a wash area which leads me to believe that they take
some winter/spring rains.   I did nothing special with my cuttings, if I
recall, I used a very porous mix and covered them loosley with a plastic
bag (one of those whitish filmy grocery bags), left them in a lighted area
then ignored them until I saw signs of growth, but I really don't remember
how long it took.

Hope this helps!

Nna
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Nan Sterman
San Diego County California
Sunset zone 24, USDA hardiness zone 10b or 11
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