Phlomis is a genus of about 100 species of plants in the family Lamiaceae, native from the Mediterranean region east across central Asia to China. Common names include Jerusalem Sage and Lampwick Plant.
I believe my mother-plant, from which I take these cuttings, is Phlomis chrysophylla or fruticosa, but it is at least 30 years old and very large and woody (about 4 feet tall) with yellow flowers; we chopped it hard back this spring and it has grown lots of new leaves from the old wood, so you can prune it to whatever size you like. It forms flower buds quite early in the year, so you will lose flowers if you prune before June, and lose seed-heads if you prune later. May be best to prune just a section at a time.
Sometimes the flowers have a curious 'hose-in-hose' habit.
The Finches love to eat the seed - we get Bullfinches, chaffinches, sparrows and goldfinches on the large bush visible from the kitchen window right through the autumn, winter and spring - much cheaper than all that bird seed for the feeders!
The seed pods are a wonderful collection of little stars that look beautiful sprayed gold or silver for Christmas.
It is also a larval foodplant for some moths in the Coleophora family.
