Teucrium chamaedrys has an identity problem of sorts. Is it a shrub, a perennial, or a groundcover? All of the above. It’s a good problem to have when it comes to marketing a multipurpose plant to consumers.
It’s not the flashiest plant available – it’s a more jeans and t-shirt type of plant belonging in a casual setting. That’s one of the reasons I like it so much.
It’s a tough, drought-tolerant plant – a great choice for growers and retailers selling to water-conscious gardeners.
With a spreading and somewhat mounding habit, it features evergreen, aromatic foliage and spikes of pink to purple flowers. Depending on the region and the amount of sun it receives, germander flowers in spring, summer and fall. It grows 10-15 inches tall and 12-18 inches wide.
Deer tend to leave it alone, while pollinators are drawn to it.
Why grow Teucrium chamaedrys?
- Drought tolerant
- Attracts pollinators
- Evergreen
- Underused but excellent choice for a groundcover or edging
Sources: High Country Gardens, Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, Missouri Botanical Garden
Explore the June 2017 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
Latest from Nursery Management
- The Growth Industry Episode 3: Across the Pond with Neville Stein
- Trends: Proven Winners 2025 perennial survey shows strong demand
- Online registration opens for the 2025 Farwest Show
- Sustainabloom launches Wholesale Nickel Program to support floriculture sustainability
- Plant breeding as an art
- Society of American Florists accepting entries for 2025 Marketer of the Year Contest
- American Horticultural Society welcomes five new board members
- Get to know Christopher Brown Jr. of Lancaster Farms
