Velvet Elvis Spur Flower

Velvet Elvis Spur Flower (Plectranthus 'Velvet Elvis') solves the problem of a shady bed with no colour in it. It builds a soft mound about a metre high and a metre wide, then sends up spires of deep purple flowers through autumn when most of the garden has finished. The leaves are the other half of the appeal: thick, quilted and velvety, holding the planting together the rest of the year.

Why you'll love it

• Autumn colour in the shade. It peaks in autumn, filling the gap between the summer perennials finishing and winter setting in, and it does it in part shade.
• Foliage that earns its keep. Deeply textured velvety leaves on upright stems, so the plant still reads as deliberate with no flower on it.
• Quick to fill a bed. Fast growing and self branching, so a row of small plants covers open soil inside a season.
• Low upkeep once in. One hard cut back in late winter is the whole program, and it takes humidity and short dry spells better than most soft leaved shade plants.

Where it works best

Borders and mass planting. Plant 80cm apart. The mounds meet by the end of the first growing season, giving a continuous band of foliage rather than a row of separate bushes.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. A 400mm pot suits a single plant, and a shaded courtyard is close to ideal: bright light, no burning sun, shelter from wind.

Small gardens. Use it in the awkward strip beside a fence or under an established canopy.

Growing Velvet Elvis Spur Flower in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade is the sweet spot: morning sun with afternoon protection, or bright dappled light all day. Full afternoon sun scorches the leaves. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and being frost tender, cool temperate and inland districts want it in a pot they can move under cover.

Soil. Free draining and enriched with compost. It is not fussy about type, but it will not sit in waterlogged ground through a wet summer. Mulch 50mm deep, kept off the stems.

Water and feed. Water twice a week for the first month, then weekly in warm weather and less over winter. Its thick leaves carry some drought tolerance, though flowering is better with steady moisture.

Pruning. Cut it back hard in late winter, to about a third of its height. This is not optional: left alone it goes woody and open at the base. Tip prune once in late spring for extra branching.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in one size, 140mm pots sold in packs of ten, which suits how the plant is actually used: massed through a bed rather than standing alone. Each plant arrives as a young bushy specimen roughly 15 to 25cm tall, already branching, and not in flower.

Soft leaved plants can look tired after transit, which settles within a week in shade. Expect the pack to close over a bed in a single warm season, with the first real display in its first or second autumn. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Find companions among our plants for partial shade.
• Browse the wider range of plants suited to pots and containers.
• See other bee and butterfly attracting plants.
• Read our guide to choosing the right size pot.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Eighty centimetres apart for a solid mass planting. Each plant fills about a metre of width, so that spacing gives overlap without the clumps shading each other out.

Will it survive frost?

It is frost tender, so a hard frost will cut it back or kill a young plant. In cool temperate and frosty inland gardens keep it potted under eaves through winter.

How much sun can it take?

Morning sun is welcome, hot afternoon sun is not. In part shade the leaves stay dark and velvety, while in full sun they bleach and the edges crisp.