Characteristics:
Best
known for its handsome, notched, evergreen leaves, which you can prune into
a neat mound or edging. If you don't shear the plant, it will produce pink
flower spikes in late summer. The foliage grows about 12 inches high, although
you can keep it pruned shorter, and the flowers stretch up to about 18 inches
high. Growing
Information:
Grow
germander in full sun and well-drained soil of moderate fertility. Keep it
out of the wind to prevent damage to the evergreen foliage and cover with pine
boughs during winter. Remove dead or damaged growth in spring. You can shear
germander regularly to maintain a desired shape, but stop in late summer in
climates with cold winters. Propagation:
You
can start germander quickly from root divisions and stem cuttings or slowly
from seed. Cultivars:
Prostrate
germander (T.
chamaedrys
'Prostratum')
is a vigorous creeping plant that only reaches 10 inches high. Variegated
germander is a full-sized germander with yellow and white variegations. Possible
Problems:
None
serious. Harvesting
and Using:
Use
germander as an herb garden ornamental. Historically it was used for medicinal
purposes. Related
Herbs:
T.
flavum,
a
marginally hardy germander, has large, sometimes furry leaves with yellow flowers
on plants about 2 feet tall. Caucasian
germander (T.
hircanicum)
is a hardy perennial with furry leaves and purple or red flowers on plants
that are 2 feet tall. |