Sweet Almond Bush is a plant that earns its keep through sheer generosity of bloom. Native to South America and named for the same Spanish queen as its cousin lemon verbena, Aloysia virgata grows into a large, upright-arching shrub with thin whippy branches that can reach fifteen feet in Zones 10 to 11. In Zones 8 and 9 the top growth dies to the ground each winter, but the roots survive and send up vigorous new shoots each spring — a habit that keeps the plant manageable and, because it flowers on new wood, ensures a full season of bloom without any decline in performance.

The white flowers appear in dense clusters from July through frost and attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds with a reliable thoroughness that makes it a cornerstone of any pollinator planting. Deadheading encourages successive flushes; cutting back hard in early spring shapes the plant and increases the number of flowering stems. It prefers full sun in average to dry, well-drained soil and tolerates moderate drought once established. Deer leave it alone. In containers it is smaller and equally effective on a sunny patio, though it must be brought inside before hard frost in Zone 9 and colder. Plant it somewhere the almond scent can drift — near a seating area, beneath a window, or across a path where the warmth of the day releases it at its fullest.