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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesser Periwinkle, Common Periwinkle, Myrtle, Dwarf Vinca | Vinca minor | Apocynaceae | subshrub | 3-6 inches (8-15 cm) | 6–7.5 | 4a-9b | Partial Shade, Full Shade, Partial Sun | Water regularly during the first growing season to establish root network; highly drought tolerant once established in shaded microclimates. | Easy | LC |
| Garden Lettuce | Lactuca sativa | Asteraceae | herb_non_graminoid | 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) for leaf types; 10-14 inches (25-36 cm) for heading types | 6–7 | Annual; tolerates light frost to about 25°F (-4°C) | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Keep the soil evenly moist, about 1 inch of water per week. Water at soil level in the morning so foliage dries quickly and bottom rot stays low. | Easy | NE |
| Asiatic Lily, Oriental Lily, Garden Hybrid Lily | Lilium hybrids | Liliaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 2-5 feet (60-150 cm) | 5.8–6.8 | 3a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Provide roughly 1 inch of water weekly during active vegetative growth and flowering; ensure perfect sub-surface drainage around the basal plate. | Easy | NE |
| Sacred Lotus, Indian Lotus, Bean of India, Nelumbo | Nelumbo nucifera | Nelumbonaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 3-6 feet (90-180 cm emergent) | 6.5–8 | 4a-11b | Full Sun | Submerge under 15-50 cm of warm standing water with at least 6 hours of direct sun daily. | Moderate | LC |
| Lovage, Sea Parsley, Maggi Plant | Levisticum officinale | Apiaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 5-8 feet (150-240 cm) | 6–7 | 3a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Requires steady soil moisture; mulching around root zone prevents drought stress. | Easy | LC |
| Japanese Silver Grass, Chinese Silver Grass, Eulalia | Miscanthus sinensis | Poaceae | herb_graminoid | 4-8 feet (120-240 cm) | 5.5–7.5 | 4a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Water regularly during first season; once established, natural rainfall is typically sufficient. | Easy | LC |
| Sweet Marjoram, Knotted Marjoram, Majoram | Origanum majorana | Lamiaceae | subshrub | 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) | 6.5–7.8 | 7a-10b | Full Sun | Allow soil to dry thoroughly between deep waterings; avoid crown saturation. | Easy | LC |
| Mexican Snowball, White Mexican Rose, Pearl of Hidalgo | Echeveria elegans | Crassulaceae | succulent_leaf | 3-6 inches (8-15 cm) | 6–7.2 | 9a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Soak and dry method; allow potting medium to dry out 100% between waterings. Avoid water collection inside rosette apex. | Easy | LC |
| Peppermint, Brandy Mint, Balm Mint, Lambs Mint | Mentha × piperita | Lamiaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 30-90 cm (1-3 feet) | 5.5–7.5 | 3a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Keep soil consistently moist but not stagnant; water more frequently in full sun and containers. | Easy | LC |
| Mustard Greens, Brown Mustard, Indian Mustard, Leaf Mustard | Brassica juncea | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5-3 feet (45-90 cm) | 6–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Provide moderate, steady moisture to keep leaves tender; dry conditions accelerate bolting and intensify bitterness. | Easy | LC |
| Northern Highbush Blueberry | Vaccinium corymbosum | Ericaceae | shrub | 6-12 feet (1.8-3.6 meters) | 4.5–5.5 | 3a-7b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Provide 1-2 inches of water per week, especially from bloom through fruit set and during late summer flower bud formation. Drip irrigation is preferred. Mulch with pine needles, pine bark, or wood chips to conserve moisture and maintain soil acidity. | Moderate | LC |
| Okra, Gumbo, Lady's Finger, Bhindi | Abelmoschus esculentus | Malvaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 4-7 feet (120-210 cm) | 6–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun | Water regularly during flowering and pod development; tolerates dry spells once root system is deep. | 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.