Hardiness zones
Sunset 10, 12-13
USDA 8-10 (arid and semi arid regions only)

Landscape Use: Used principally as a background informal hedge or accent shrub in desert gardens.

Form & Character: Upright evergreen perennial, mostly herbaceous, with a regular stiff and brittle branching habit.

Growth Habit: Moderately upright to 10' in height with an equal spread. Growth rate markedly increased by additions of supplemental water.

Foliage/texture: Small, oval gray highly pubescent leaves (wooly) with crenate margins, fragrant when crushed; medium texture.

Flowers & fruits: Terminal and axillary clusters of small purple flowers, attract butterflies and bees; fruit inconspicuous nutlets, brown at maturity.

Seasonal color: Desert lavender can bloom repeatedly throughout the warm season in irrigated landscapes.

Temperature: Obviously highly adapted to hot desert climates.

Light: Full sun, tolerant of reflected heat.

Soil: Well drained soil is required.

Watering: Needs only some supplemental water during summer heat. Desert lavender can become rangy and leggy in appearance if over irrigated.

Pruning: Lightly head back or shear in late winter to promote a more regular shape and denser foliar canopy.

Propagation: Seed, cutting

Disease and pests: None

Additional comments: This is a rarely used shrub in Phoenix landscapes reserved exclusively for xeric and desert landcsape settings. Rub the leaves in your fingers to smell their wonderful fragrance, its a heavy sage-like scent. The leaves are used to make a herbal tea. The flowers are attractive to bees. Hyptis is a genus of about 400 species, mostly in tropical regions around the world.