Melianthus major

A bold, dramatic perennial with striking, serrated blue-green foliage and tall spires of deep reddish- brown flowers from March to May. The leaves release a distinctive peanut butter scent when touched, and the nectar-rich blooms are a magnet for pollinators.

Melianthus major is a striking South African shrub valued in Mediterranean gardens for its huge serrated blue-grey pinnate leaves, sometimes 30–40 cm long, that release a peculiar peanut-butter scent when crushed. Tall flowering spikes of velvety dark crimson tubular flowers, rich in dark nectar, rise above the foliage from late winter to spring — January to April. The flowers attract bees and sunbirds (in coastal frost-free climates). Hardy to -8°C with the plant regrowing from the base after frost damage, melianthus is drought-tolerant once established, tolerates poor soils and partial shade, and rapidly recovers from heavy spring cutback.

Melianthus reaches 1.5–3 m tall and as wide, with a coarse upright habit best suited to bold contemporary planting compositions. The blue-grey leaf colour and architectural form make it powerful as a foliage focal point in dry borders and large gravel gardens. Cut hard back in spring after flowering to keep it compact and well-foliated; left untouched, the plant becomes leggy and sparse at the base. Pair the blue-grey foliage with the warm yellow of Euryops pectinatus, the orange of Bulbine frutescens, the purple of Salvia microphylla and the silver of Stachys byzantina. The unusual peanut-butter scent makes it an interesting plant near paths and seating, where visitors will brush the leaves and discover the fragrance.