<em>Teucrium</em>, germander: planting, care

Description and botany

The Teucrium or Germander belongs to family Lamiaceae, as do its close relatives sages, mints, lavenders and thymes. The genus comprises around a hundred species native to hillsides and rocky areas of Mediterranean regions of southern Spain, southern Portugal and Morocco and even the arid hills of Iran and the Caucasus. Germanders are divided into groundcover species such as Teucrium chamaedrys (germander chamaedrys) and shrub-like species such as Teucrium fruticans, called “tree germander”, which is the most common in gardens. This species grows wild on Mediterranean coastal cliffs where it is protected. ‘Azureum’, a blue-flowered teucrium, is one of the prettiest cultivars of this shrubby germander.

Among Teucrium species there is also Teucrium hircanicum, the Iranian germander, and Teucrium x lucidrys, or Germander Lucidrys, a perennial undershrub, very groundcovering, to name only the species most often planted in gardens.

Habit and size vary with species: shrub-like and somewhat untidy, reaching up to 1.40 m, even 2 m in all directions in Teucrium fruticans, forming erect clumps about 60 cm high in Teucrium hircanicum, and creeping and very groundcovering in Teucrium chamaedrys and Teucrium x lucidrys, two species whose height ranges from 15 to 40 cm. Teucrium aroanium, among the smallest (8–10 cm high), makes a perfect groundcover.

Foliage, often evergreen, sometimes semi-evergreen, or even deciduous depending on climate, develops on stems with a quadrangular cross-section, often woody, sometimes woolly. Some germanders form upright, strongly ramified stems (Teucrium fruticans) while others (Teucrium chamaedrys) spread slowly via stoloniferous stems that root where they contact soil.

Leaf shape, texture and colour also vary by species. Leaves are arranged in opposite, decussate pairs, i.e. in a cross pattern along the stem. They measure 3 to 5 cm long and are linear, ovate to oblong or lanceolate, with prominent veins, entire or so strongly crenate that they resemble tiny oak leaves, in germander chamaedrys, which is how this undershrub got its vernacular name.

Teucrium chamaedrys / Teucrium hircanicum

Leathery, green and glossy above in most species, leaves are covered with a fine down that gives a bright silvery grey-green appearance in Teucrium fruticans. Leaf underside is often covered with a thick white felt or tomentum, very downy. In some, leaves are slightly aromatic when crushed. Foliage then emits a scent reminiscent of hay or a slightly acrid odour.

From this glabrous or pubescent vegetation, compact yet light, emerge in spring (February to June, sometimes as early as December in Mediterranean areas) or in summer (June to September north of the Loire), depending on species and climate, small inflorescences typical of Lamiaceae. Gathered in groups of 2 to 6, in racemes or spikes on upper parts of the hairy stems, the round, downy flower buds open into bilabiate corollas about 1 cm long. These small but numerous flowers, set within a campanulate calyx, are divided into 5 pointed petals fused to form a single lower lip. Central lobe is more elongated. Each flower houses a cluster of four prominent stamens, two of which are more projecting than the others.

Teucrium hircanicum is distinguished by flowering in long violaceous spikes that can measure up to 20 cm in length.

Each of these delicate little flowers opens in colours ranging from pure white in Teucrium chamaedrys ‘Alba’ to lilac-pink, passing through the deep crimson of the Iranian germander, more rarely yellow (Teucrium polium, Teucrium flavum), while cultivar ‘Azureum’ stands out with bright blue flowers tinged with lavender.

This delicate, particularly nectariferous and melliferous flowering lasts for many months and attracts pollinating insects.

Teucrium fruticans (photo Peganum) / Teucrium lucidrys / Teucrium chamaedrys ‘Alba’

Fruits consist of four achenes containing seeds that can naturalise by means of spontaneous self-seeding.

A Mediterranean plant that grows in full sun and tolerates poor soils, indispensable in dry gardens, and capable of withstanding short frosts of around -12°C.

Teucrium, notably famous germander chamaedrys, has antiseptic and digestive therapeutic properties, and is also useful for treating rheumatism and headaches. Young leaves can be used to garnish salads, and the plant is used to flavour liqueurs such as chartreuse and vermouth with its slightly bitter taste. Its flowering tops, dried, are consumed as an infusion.

Main species and varieties

Most popular

Our favourites

Teucrium fruticans Azureum - Tree Germander

With its vivid blue flowers, it is one of the prettiest varieties derived from shrubby germander. Perfect planted alone in dry and coastal gardens, as a hedge, in shrub borders, as a solitary specimen and even in a container on the patio. Responds very well to pruning and to topiary.

• Flowering time March to September
• Height at maturity 1,20 m

See the product sheet

Teucrium chamaedrys Alba - Germander

With its small bushy habit, creamy-yellow flowering and fine, glossy dark green aromatic foliage, almost evergreen, it will be wonderful in rockeries, in pretty borders or in low, no-maintenance hedges.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 30 cm

See the product sheet

Teucrium hircanicum - Germander

This robust, very hardy perennial germander has aromatic foliage and flowering more spectacular than other species. A treasure for rockeries and dry gardens.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 60 cm

See the product sheet

Teucrium x lucidrys

This undershrub perennial, very carpeting, stands out for its long flowering on erect spikes. This small groundcover will grow on banks, on rockery slopes or at the edge of a low wall, from which it will cascade.

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 30 cm

See the product sheet

Planting

Where to plant Teucrium?

Germander is a Mediterranean plant accustomed to dry, poor, calcareous soils. It is well equipped to withstand drought and long, hot, dry summers. Most teucrium nevertheless cope fairly well with cold and tolerate short frosts (down to −10°C to −12°C) once well established. Teucrium fruticans, a little more tender (it suffers from cold from −5°C), will be happier in regions with mild winters; in our coldest, wettest regions, grow it in a pot and overwinter frost-free.

Germander prefers full sun, which will enhance the silvery colour of some species’ foliage and intensify fragrance.

Native to arid regions, it prefers stony, poor, dry, calcareous soils in which it grows best, but will also accept any good garden soil provided it is very well drained: it dislikes waterlogged soils in winter, in which case surviving the winter will be difficult. In heavy soils, grow on a bank or in a raised bed.

This undershrub or small perennial is a good plant for dry soils where it forms pretty glossy green or silver tufts. It has its place in all natural gardens or as a windbreak in seaside gardens as it does not fear sea spray.

Smaller species will grow on dry banks, on rockery slopes, in crevices of an old stone wall in the most inhospitable areas of the garden and even in a pot.

Shrubby germanders are ideal in free-form or clipped hedges and in shrub borders. They are perfectly suited to topiary pruning.

When to plant Teucrium?

Plant teucrium in spring from February to May depending on region when temperatures rise, or in autumn from September to November in warm climates.

How to plant Teucrium?

In open ground

For creeping species allow 5 plants per m². For shrubby germander, 1 plant per m² is sufficient.

• Dig a hole 2 to 4 times wider than rootball
• Loosen soil well
• Lighten with coarse sand
• Spread a 10 cm layer of gravel at bottom of planting hole
• Plant, backfill
• Firm gently
• Water generously at planting, then moderately without flooding the roots

Teucrium hircanicum with grasses

In a pot

Teucrium can also be grown in a pot on terrace or balcony, to overwinter frost-free in the wettest regions. Substrate must be very free-draining to avoid stagnant moisture at roots: do not leave water in saucers.

• Spread a good layer of drainage (gravel or clay balls) at bottom of pot
• Plant in a mix made up of equal parts sand and potting compost for Mediterranean plants
• Water at planting then sparingly
• In cold regions, put pot into winter storage and bring out in spring

Maintenance, pruning and care

Teucrium is an undemanding plant that requires very little attention and is ideal for a low‑maintenance weekend garden. Water during the first two months after planting to encourage rooting, then only in case of prolonged drought and always sparingly as it is accustomed to long arid summers typical of Mediterranean climate. Once well rooted, let nature take its course!

Remove faded flowers regularly to encourage new blooms and prolong flowering. Allow a few tops to set seed so you can make sowings the following year.

For potted germanders, ensure more regular watering while always allowing the substrate to dry out between waterings.

For this undemanding plant, no fertiliser is necessary.

Watch for spontaneous sowings, often numerous; remove them or replant them wherever you wish.

In regions with harsh, wet winters, bring in the most tender Teucrium such as Teucrium fruticans to protect from frost and rain, and put them back outside as soon as temperatures rise in spring. Repot every two or three years or top‑dress each spring with compost.

Resistant to disease, Teucrium have virtually no pests.

Discover more advice on how to care for perennial plants and how to protect your plants from cold.

When and how to prune?

Pruning of Teucrium is the only real maintenance. It is recommended annually to keep a neat, bushy habit. Annual prunings at the end of winter and in summer prevent formation of old wood. If not pruned, germander readily adopts a scruffy appearance. It lends itself very well to pruning into a ball like box or into topiary. We therefore recommend two prunings :

1. In spring, tip‑trim with shears the largest young shoots to even up the clump; cut fairly short and remove all dead wood
2. Just after flowering, remove faded flowers with a tidy‑up pruning by cutting just below the flower head

Every four years, rejuvenate the oldest plants by cutting them back severely to three buds from the stump; they will regrow more vigorously!

Multiplication

Germander readily propagates in June by herbaceous cuttings or by semi-ripe cuttings in July–August, by sowing in spring with mature seeds harvested in autumn in the garden or by layering for shrubby species, a more laborious operation.

Taking cuttings of Teucrium

• Take branch cuttings with a heel 5–10 cm long
• Remove leaves from lower half of stem
• Insert cuttings two-thirds of their length into a tray or into buckets in a free-draining mix of equal parts seed compost and sand
• Keep in partial shade and water regularly until rooting, which is fairly rapid
• In winter, protect cuttings from frost under cold frame
• Plant out permanently the following spring
• Pinch out young shoots to encourage bushiness
• Water well during first year after planting

Sowing

• Under cover in February–March, sow seeds in a tray containing good seed compost and sand
• Cover seeds lightly with compost
• Firm down and keep moist until germination
• Keep sowings in light
• Prick out seedlings into individual buckets when strong enough to handle
• Plant out when temperatures have risen
• Pinch young stems to encourage branching

By layering

• In spring, bend down a low branch
• Remove leaves from that part of the stem
• Lay it in a mixture of garden soil, turf and sand
• Bury it so it can root
• In September, cut off layered shoots that have rooted using pruning shear
• Pot up each shoot into a bucket, in a mixture of compost and sand
• Store them all winter under cold frame
• Following spring, plant out in garden in well-drained soil

Companion planting germander in the garden

Germander is a plant accustomed to long hot periods and naturally finds its place in dry gardens and natural gardens where sun reigns supreme, in a scree garden or rockery alongside drought-tolerant plants and other Mediterranean perennials.

Teucrium fruticans, with its slightly scruffy habit, will be happy in a free-form or clipped hedge alongside summer-flowering bushes equally frugal: Escallonia, Vitex, Australian rosemary, Cistus, Althaea. In a natural bed, you can create a lush summer scene by combining it with shrubby lavateras, Caryopteris, hollyhocks, dry-ground euphorbias, Achillea millefolium, Nepeta, and a few clumps of Stipa tenuifolia and Stipa pennata. Silvery foliage of Teucrium fruticans ‘Azureum’ will echo the fine grey leaves of Artemisia, santolinas or Helichrysum italicum.

An example of a natural combination: Teucrium hircanicum and Achillea ‘Cerise Queen’, Cirsium rivale ‘Atropurpurea’, Echinacea purpurea, Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Blackfield’, Verbena bonariensis and Allium sphaerocephalon

In a rockery evoking garrigue, small germanders will keep company with other undemanding, drought-hardy plants such as creeping rosemary, Helichrysum petiolare, Perovskia, woody thymes, sages, small potentillas and sedums.

They also make pretty aromatic borders, paired with lavenders. Blue or violet flowers of germanders sit well with small hardy geraniums or with Echinops ritro and provide a lovely contrast with complementary yellow of Coreopsis and rockroses.

Groundcover species can also carpet base of ceanothus or buddleia and Mediterranean bushes such as creeping broom, olive, mimosa, cistus and lantana, as well as small dry-soil bushes like Hertia cheirifolia and Hypericum olympicum.

→ Discover more ideas to pair Teucrium in our advice sheet!