Teucrium chamaedrys
Germander

• Hardiness: USDA Zone 5.
• Water use: Low; will grow in Pullman, Washington and Moscow, Idaho with no supplemental water after establishment.
• Light: Full sun to partial shade.
• Size: 12" to 15" tall in leaf, and about 24" tall in flower; about 24" to 36" wide.
• Plant habit: Mounding, semi-woody, and semi-evergreen shrub, herb, or perennial (depending on your viewpoint).

• Season of bloom: In late summer, magenta flower spikes cover the plant. Bees, moths, and butterflies love the flowers.
• Leaves: Small leaves are glossy green during the growing season. In mild winters, most of the leaves will remain green throughout the year. In cold areas, the leaves may die during the winter. "Semi-evergreen" means that it may or may not be evergreen, depending on the season.
• Culture: Easy to grow.
• Maintenance: This plant may be maintained two very different ways:

• Formal appearance (as in knot gardens): Plant is sheared on a regular basis to keep it dense and small. It can be kept at 6 inches high this way.

 

 
 
 

• Informal appearance: Plant is pruned only once a year or twice a year. Old leaves and flower stalks may be removed in spring in one major pruning in the spring, or old flower stalks may be removed after blooming in the fall and the stems cut back in the spring.

• Pests/Diseases: Relatively insect- and disease-free.
• Other: May be sold by garden centers as a perennial or as an herb.