Germander, Teucrium chamaedrys, is another ornamental herb for the landscape. It's a hardy perennial that is drought tolerant and can be used in casual or formal situations. It's often been a favorite throughout the centuries on castle grounds and knot gardens because it can be sheared into a hedge by planting closely and keeping it trimmed. At one time it was used as a medicinal herb to treat grout, but today it's main use is ornamental.

Germander blooms in midsummer until fall, but if you want to use it as a hedge you would cut back on a regular basis to keep it in shape. If you want to use it as a wildlife or bee plant then you wouldn't trim it, except once or twice a year. The plants can be located in full sun or partial shade in a soil that is fairly fertile, but it must be well-drained. It will benefit from an addition of organic matter before planting. Space the plants about 6 inches apart if using as a hedge. If you are growing it informally, remove the older leaves and flower stalks in the spring. You can remove any dead wood and cut it back to around 6 inches as well.

You'll find this variety of germander, teucrium chamaedrys, listed as green germander or wall germander and it can be grown from seed or cuttings, but the seeds are usually slow to germinate, so be patient.

There are different varieties of germander available. One type, Teucrium x lucidrys is known as hedge germander. It's a hardy shrub with pink flowers and dark, glossy foliage. It can only be grown from cuttings of new growth. Another variety is silver germander, Teucrium fruticans. There is also a creeping variety and a blue flowered germander. When considering plants for hedges don't limit yourself to the traditional. It's fun to consider historical herbs for the landscape.