Cypriot Mountain Tea

A rare find in UK nurseries but a perfect addition to a connoisseur's Mediterranean garden. Sideritis cypria is a small, evergreen sub-shrub covered in dense, white, woolly hairs, giving the whole plant a soft, silvery-white appearance. In summer, it sends up vertical spikes of small yellow flowers protected by decorative, papery green bracts. In its native Cyprus, it is used to make a traditional herbal tea. In the UK, it acts as a stunning foliage plant, providing a luminous silver texture that contrasts beautifully with dark green rosemary or purple lavenders. It is exceptionally drought-tolerant and requires the sharpest possible drainage—it is best suited to a raised bed, a scree garden, or a large alpine trough. It is moderately hardy (H3/H4) but must be kept dry in winter. The woolly leaves are prone to rotting if they sit in wet soil, so a mulch of grit or gravel around the base is essential.

Sun: Full sun.

Soil: Gritty, very well-drained soil.

Hardiness: H3/H4.

Flowering: Jun, Jul, Aug.