| Description | Mint Leaf Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus madagascariensis) has cascading stems commonly used in combination with annuals in patio pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets—also an easy-to-grow plant for the bright areas of the interior of buildings. |
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| Plant Type | Indoor Foliage, Perennial Tender, Tropical herbaceous plants |
| Hardiness Zone | 9 |
| Sunlight | grows best in a half day full sun east exposure or in partial sun, tends to burn and fade in full sun; in the house, it likes to grow in very bright to direct |
| Moisture | average, will drop lots of leaves if allowed to become to dry |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Growing Media | average patio |
| Temperature | has tolerated low 50's to upper 40's F for me |
| Flowers | white flowers flushed with lilac, borne on a raceme |
| Leaves | small, green, and edged with white, a robust and pungent mint smell when crushed |
| Stems | a reddish cast when grown outdoors in a good sun |
| Dimensions | has reached over 24-30 inches for me in a outdoor growing season, easily kept to size by pruning |
| Maintenance | Cut back when becoming to large or scraggly looking. Has a tendency to drop lots! of leaves when allowed to become to dry. |
| Propagation | easy from cuttings |
| Native Site | Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa to the Mascarene Islands. |
| Cultivar Origin | "This species was first collected in 1775 by Philibert Commerson in Mauritius or Réunion, but must also have been known from Madagascar, hence its specific name, madagascariensis, meaning 'of Madagascar." (PlantZAfrica), A botanical misnomer since this plant is not from Madigascar. |
| Author's Notes | Grew this plant for many years at in the greenhouse. Easy to grow with few, if any problems. |
| Notes & Reference | #109-Annuals and Tender Perennials for North American Gardens (Wayne Winterroud), PlantZAfrica (pza.sanbi.org/coleus-madagascariensis) |
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