Teucrium chamaedrys
Wall germander, Ground oak, Ground germander
- Height × spread
- 0.25m × 0.5m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This dwarf shrubby plant has small, glossy but hairy grey-green leaves and small spikes of dusky-red flowers from July to September. The leaves have a pungent, aromatic smell that makes itself felt most strongly when the shrub is trodden underfoot, even if this doesn't seem to be the best way to treat cherished plants. This was once a strewing herb and is also a popular dwarf hedging plant for knot gardens. In the wild, it grows on hillsides in rocky sites and enjoys alkaline conditions. It is, therefore, useful in the rock garden and can even be planted in walls.
- Flower colour
- Red
- Foliage colour
- Green, Grey
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 0.25m
- Spread
- 0.5m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Wild flower meadow, Seaside garden, Scented garden, Rock garden, Mediterranean garden, Herb garden, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam (normal), Poor soil, Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Hedge, Structural, Bee attraction
- Hazards
- Yes, potentially harmful; Humans: Harmful if eaten
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Hedges · Planting
Suitable for dividing hedges
This plant is small and can be used to make a defining edge rather than a small hedge.
Hedges · Planting
Suitable as a short lived hedge
This makes a short-lived hedge that can become straggly with age, and may need to be replaced after a few years.
Found in
More Teucrium
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Teucrium ackermannii
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Teucrium fruticans 'Azureum'
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Teucrium fruticans 'Compactum'
Compact shrubby germander, Compact tree germander
Teucrium fruticans 'Lucky Gold'
Shrubby germander
Teucrium fruticans Indyho = 'Ventecu'
Shrubby germander
Teucrium hircanicum
Caucasian germander