Germander -- Teucrium canadense at Wild Cherry Farm
Germander -- Teucrium canadense at Wild Cherry Farm

Germander (Teucrium canadense)

$5.00

Germander flowers attract a variety of native bees, butterflies, and skippers. Other visitors include Hummingbirds and Hummingbird moths coming to seek nectar (illinoiswildflowers.info). Because of the bitter leaves, mammalian herbivores tend not to bother this plant. However, Germander can spread aggressively under the right conditions, and can become rather weedy, so choose your planting spot wisely.

Photo credit: Aaron Carlson

Germander flowers attract a variety of native bees, butterflies, and skippers. Other visitors include Hummingbirds and Hummingbird moths coming to seek nectar (illinoiswildflowers.info). Because of the bitter leaves, mammalian herbivores tend not to bother this plant. However, Germander can spread aggressively under the right conditions, and can become rather weedy, so choose your planting spot wisely.

Photo credit: Aaron Carlson

Life Cycle: Perennial

Sun Exposure: Full-Partial shade

Soil Moisture: Medium/wet – Medium/dry

Height: 1.5-4 feet

Plant Spacing: 2-3 feet

Bloom Time: July-September

Bloom Color: Pink, light purple

Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant

Host Plant: 1 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023)

Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023

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