Comprehensive Plant Database
Search and filter by soil pH, sunlight, functional traits, ecology, and safety, covering every plant type.
| Name | Scientific | Family | Form | Height | pH | Zones | Sun | Water | Difficulty | Conservation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Moss, Heath Pearlwort, Awl-leaf Pearlwort | Sagina subulata | Caryophyllaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-2 inches (2-5 cm) | 5.5–7 | 4a-8b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Requires consistent, even moisture; browns out under severe drought or extreme heat without afternoon shade. | Moderate | LC |
| Japanese Camellia, Common Camellia, Tsubaki | Camellia japonica | Theaceae | shrub | 6-12 feet | 5–6.5 | 7a - 9b | Partial Sun, Partial Shade, Full Shade | Maintain consistent soil moisture, particularly during the first two growing seasons and summer bud-set. Provide 1 inch of water weekly; avoid both drought stress and root waterlogging. | Moderate | LC |
| Japanese Flowering Crabapple, Showy Crabapple | Malus floribunda | Rosaceae | tree | 15-25 feet (4.5-7.5 m) | 5.5–7 | 4a-8b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Provide regular deep watering during the first 2 seasons of establishment. Mature specimens exhibit good drought tolerance, requiring supplemental water only during extended dry spells. | Easy | NE |
| Hakone Grass, Golden Japanese Forest Grass | Hakonechloa macra | Poaceae | herb_graminoid | 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) | 5.5–6.8 | 5a-9b | Partial Shade, Full Shade, Partial Sun | Maintain even moisture; avoid allowing roots to dry out completely in summer. | Easy | LC |
| Japanese Maple, Smooth Japanese Maple, Palmate Maple | Acer palmatum | Sapindaceae | tree | 10-25 feet (3-7.5 m) | 5.5–6.8 | 5b - 8b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Maintain consistent soil moisture, especially during establishment and hot summer periods. Deep, infrequent soaking is preferred over light sprinkling; avoid waterlogged root conditions. | Moderate | LC |
| Japanese Pachysandra, Japanese Spurge, Carpet Spurge | Pachysandra terminalis | Buxaceae | subshrub | 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) | 5–6.5 | 4a-8b | Partial Shade, Full Shade | Provide regular moisture until established; once rooted, exhibits good tolerance to dry shade under tree roots. | Easy | LC |
| Kale, Borecole, Curly Kale, Dinosaur Kale | Brassica oleracea | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 12-24 inches | 6–7.5 | 2a - 9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Requires consistent moisture (1-1.5 inches per week). Mulch heavily to retain soil moisture and keep roots cool. | Easy | LC |
| Kohlrabi, German Turnip, Turnip Cabbage | Brassica oleracea | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-1.5 feet (30-45 cm) | 6–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Water regularly (1 inch weekly) to promote rapid vegetative growth and maintain crisp, fiber-free stem flesh. | Easy | LC |
| Leek, Garden Leek, Broadleaf Leek | Allium ampeloprasum | Amaryllidaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) | 6.5–7.5 | 3a-9b | Full Sun | Provide regular, moderate moisture (25 mm/week); avoid overhead watering late in the day to minimize leaf rust. | Easy | LC |
| Lemon, True Lemon, Common Lemon | Citrus limon | Rutaceae | tree | 10-20 feet | 5.5–6.5 | 9a - 11b | Full Sun | Deep, regular watering. Allow the top 2 inches of soil to dry out between waterings to prevent Phytophthora root rot. | Moderate | NE |
| Lemon Balm, Sweet Balm, Melissa | Melissa officinalis | Lamiaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5-2.5 feet (45-75 cm) | 6–7.5 | 4a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Moderate regular watering; allow upper soil surface to dry slightly between cycles. | Easy | LC |
| Lemongrass, West Indian Lemongrass, Citronella Grass | Cymbopogon citratus | Poaceae | herb_graminoid | 3-5 feet (90-150 cm) | 6–7.5 | 9a-11b | Full Sun | Generous watering during summer; reduce irrigation in winter when dormant. | Easy | LC |
Beans: Soil pH, Planting Depth and Spacing (Green, Bush, Fava)
The three bean records in this database, green bean, bush bean and fava (broad bean), all sit in the same narrow soil window: pH 6.0 to 7.0, well-drained, and neither waterlogged nor droughted through pod fill. That window is not a preference, it is a biological constraint. Rhizobium nodules (the reason a bean feeds itself) stop fixing atmospheric nitrogen below about pH 6.0, and fava shows aluminium and manganese toxicity on acid ground before the common beans do. Lime to 6.0-6.5 if a test comes back under 6.0, then re-test: the correction takes months, not weeks.
| Bean | Sow depth | Spacing | Soil temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green bean | 1–1.5 in (2.5–4 cm) | 3–4 in in-row, 18–24 in apart | 60°F (16°C) or warmer |
| Bush bean | 1–1.5 in (2.5–4 cm) | 3–4 in in-row, 18–24 in apart | 60°F (16°C) or warmer |
| Fava bean | 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm) | 4–6 in in-row, 24 in apart | 40–50°F (5–10°C) |
Depth. Sow bean seed at about three times its own thickness and no deeper: 1 to 1.5 inches for green and bush bean, 1 to 2 inches for the larger fava seed. Sowing shallow is the safer error. Common bean will not germinate in soil still below 60°F (16°C) (seed sits and rots instead of swelling) while fava is the opposite and goes in four to six weeks before the last frost, which is why it also works as an autumn sowing. Neither wants a presoak: hydrate the bed, not the seed.
Spacing. Bush types are determinate and stop growing on their own, so 3 to 4 inches within the row and 18 to 24 inches between rows gives a canopy that closes without crowding; thinned stands dry out and crack their pods. Fava is taller and stiffer, so it takes 4 to 6 inches in the row with 24 inches between rows, and it benefits from a stake on exposed ground. Pole types are a different question: they need the trellis before the seed goes in.
After sowing. About an inch of water a week, held evenly through flowering and pod set: a dry week at first bloom drops the flower set, and a waterlogged week at harvest splits the pods. Inoculate seed if the bed has not grown a legume in the last four years, keep fresh manure out of the hole (it delays nodulation) and feed phosphorus and potash from a soil test rather than by habit. Full sun for all three. For the pH side of that, start from the soil pH by crop reference table and work out the rate with the lime requirement calculator.