California Hedgenettle/Wood Mint is a spreading perennial native to coastal California that grows 1-4 feet tall and 2-5 feet wide. It has dark green, fuzzy triangular to oval leaves and square, hairy stems that emit a pleasant lemon scent. Small pink to lavender flowers bloom from March to May. It thrives in part shade and tolerates seasonal flooding, making it suitable as a groundcover under trees or near shaded walls. California Hedgenettle spreads via rhizomes and attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

1. California Hedgenettle/Wood Mint – Stachys bullata (STAY-kis bull-AY-ta)
Family: Laminaceae (Mint Family)
Native to: Coastal CA from San Francisco to Orange Co.; dryish slopes (near coast) and partially-shaded
canyons in chaparral and coastal sage scrub, coast live oak riparian forest & woodland, sycamore riparian
woodland.
Growth characteristics: spreading perennial mature height: 1-4 ft. mature width: 2-5 ft. Dark
green, fuzzy leaves are triangular to oval, toothed. Stem square (typical of Mints) and hairy. Plants mildly
to strongly scented – minty with lemon. Spreads by rhizomes.
Blooms/fruits: Flowers are small, pink to lavender-red, with white markings on the lower lips (look like a
mint flower; in whorls around stem). Blooms Mar-May or later. Very pretty bloomer.
Uses in the garden: Most shady areas of garden. Cultivated beds or for a fragrance garden (pleasant
lemon scent when rubbed). Excellent cut flowers. Use in woodland or perennial gardens. Spreads, so is
useful groundcover for north- and east-facing slopes, under trees and near shaded rock walls.
Sensible substitute for: Non-native mints, low herbaceous groundcovers.
Attracts: Excellent hummingbird, bee, butterfly habitat plant; other birds eat seeds.
Requirements:
Element Requirement
Sun Part-shade; full sun only on immediate coast
Soil Any well-drained soil; any local pH
Water does better with occasional to moderate water, and tolerates seasonal flooding
Fertilizer Organic mulches useful
Other
Management: Easy to grow. Does spread, but not aggressively; remove unwanted stems. Cut back
nearly to the ground in late fall or early winter.
Propagation: from seed: yes in fall/winter by cuttings: easy (treat like other mints)
Plant/seed sources (see list for source numbers): 1-3, 7, 8, 11,12, 14, 20, 32 11/3/14
© Project SOUND

2. Stachys bullata
California woodmint

9. In ‘El Rincon’ native plant garden: South Coast Botanic Garden

10. As groundcover in Mother Nature’s Backyard: Gardena, CA

11. As groundcover in ‘Garden of Dreams’ native plant garden (winter), CSU Dominguez Hills: Carson, CA