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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creeping Jenny, Moneywort, Twopenny Grass, Herb Twopence | Lysimachia nummularia | Primulaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) | 6–7.8 | 3a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Keep consistently moist to wet; does not tolerate dry periods. | Easy | LC |
| Creeping Thyme, Wild Thyme, Mother of Thyme, Breckland Thyme | Thymus serpyllum | Lamiaceae | subshrub | 2-4 inches | 6.5–8 | 4a - 9b | Full Sun | Deep, infrequent watering during establishment; highly drought-tolerant once mature. Requires sharp drainage. | Easy | LC |
| Common Crepe Myrtle, Crape Myrtle | Lagerstroemia indica | Lythraceae | tree | 15-25 feet (4.5-7.5 m) | 5.5–6.8 | 6a-9b | Full Sun | Moderate regular water during the first two establishment years; highly drought-tolerant once deep root systems develop. | Easy | LC |
| Spring Crocus, Dutch Crocus, Giant Crocus | Crocus vernus | Iridaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 3-6 inches (8-15 cm) | 6–7.5 | 3a-8b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Requires moisture in late winter and spring; tolerates and prefers dry conditions during summer dormancy. | Easy | LC |
| Cucumber, Gartengurke, Concombre, Khira | Cucumis sativus | Cucurbitaceae | climber | 1-2 feet sprawling; 6-8 feet when trellised | 6–7 | 4-11 (cultivated as frost-tender summer annual) | Full Sun | Provide 1-2 inches of water per week. Consistent moisture is critical; irregular watering causes misshapen or bitter fruit. Drip irrigation is preferred to keep leaves dry and reduce disease. | Moderate | LC |
| Wild Daffodil, Lent Lily, Trumpet Narcissus, Common Daffodil | Narcissus pseudonarcissus | Amaryllidaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 0.5-1.5 feet | 6–7.5 | 3a - 9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Ensure regular moisture throughout the active vegetative and flowering spring cycle. Tolerate and prefer drier soil regimes during summer bulb dormancy. | Easy | LC |
| Garden Dahlia, Tuberous Dahlia | Dahlia pinnata | Asteraceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-6 feet | 6–7.5 | 8a - 11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Deep, consistent watering at soil level 2-3 times weekly; avoid overhead sprinkling to minimize powdery mildew and Botrytis spore dispersal. | Moderate | LC |
| Dandelion, Common Dandelion, Lion's Tooth, Pissenlit | Taraxacum officinale | Asteraceae | herb_non_graminoid | 6-18 inches (15-45 cm) | 6–7.5 | 3a-10b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Moderate regular moisture produces broader, less bitter leaves; withstands prolonged dry spells via deep taproot. | Easy | LC |
| Tawny Daylily, Orange Daylily, Ditch Lily | Hemerocallis fulva | Asphodelaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 2-3.5 feet (60-105 cm) | 6–7 | 3a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Medium to low; drought-tolerant due to swollen, moisture-storing root tubers. | Easy | NE |
| Delicata Squash, Sweet Potato Squash, Peanut Squash | Cucurbita pepo | Cucurbitaceae | climber | 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) | 6–6.8 | 2a-11b | Full Sun | Provide 1-1.5 inches of water per week via drip irrigation; avoid overhead watering to reduce fungal spore proliferation on foliage. | Easy | NE |
| Dill, Dill Weed, Dill Seed, Aneth | Anethum graveolens | Apiaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5 - 3 feet | 5.5–7.5 | 2a - 11b | Full Sun | Water regularly to keep soil evenly moist, especially during germination and flowering. Do not let soil dry out completely or become waterlogged. | Easy | LC |
| Eastern Redbud, Judas Tree | Cercis canadensis | Fabaceae | tree | 20-30 feet (6-9 m) | 6.2–7.8 | 4b-9a | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Deep, periodic watering during prolonged dry spells; prefers uniformly moist, well-drained loams. | 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.