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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn Squash, Des Moines Squash, Pepper Squash | Cucurbita pepo | Cucurbitaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5-3 feet (45-90 cm) | 6–6.8 | 3a-11b | Full Sun | Provide 1 inch of water weekly at the soil base. Avoid overhead sprinkler irrigation to reduce powdery mildew susceptibility. | Easy | LC |
| Carpet Bugleweed, Bugle, Blue Bugle, Carpenter's Herb | Ajuga reptans | Lamiaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 3-6 inches (up to 9 inches in bloom) | 4.5–6.8 | 3a - 9b | Partial Sun, Partial Shade, Full Shade | Water moderately until established; tolerates brief dry spells once rooted but performs best with consistent moisture in well-draining soil. | Easy | LC |
| Giant Allium, Ornamental Onion, Giant Onion | Allium giganteum | Amaryllidaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 3-5 feet (90-150 cm) | 6–7.5 | 4a-9b | Full Sun | Water moderately during spring growth; requires dry soil conditions during summer dormancy to prevent bulb rot. | Easy | LC |
| Aloe Vera, True Aloe, Medicinal Aloe, Barbados Aloe | Aloe vera | Asphodelaceae | succulent_leaf | 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) (foliage); up to 3 feet (90 cm) in flower | 6.5–8 | 9a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Employ the 'soak and dry' method: saturate root zone completely, then allow medium to become 100% dry before re-watering. Reduce watering by 70% in winter. | Easy | LC |
| Blood Amaranth, Purple Amaranth, Red Amaranth, Grain Amaranth | Amaranthus cruentus | Amaranthaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 4-8 feet (120-240 cm) | 6–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun | Low to medium. Once established, requires little supplemental irrigation except during severe hot dry spells. | Easy | LC |
| Arugula, Garden Rocket, Roquette, Eruca | Eruca vesicaria | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) | 6–7.2 | 3a - 11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Maintain even moisture with 1 inch of water weekly. Inconsistent moisture induces premature bolting and leaf bitterness. | Easy | LC |
| Garden Asparagus, Edible Asparagus, Sparrow Grass | Asparagus officinalis | Asparagaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 4-6 feet (120-180 cm) | 6.5–7.8 | 3a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Deep watering during dry spells, especially during the fern-recharging summer phase; mature crowns tolerate drought. | Moderate | LC |
| Chinese Astilbe, False Spirea, False Goat's Beard | Astilbe chinensis | Saxifragaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5-3 feet (45-90 cm) | 5.5–6.8 | 4a-9a | Partial Sun, Partial Shade, Full Shade | High. Requires consistent moisture. Foliage scorches quickly if allowed to dry out in full sun. | Easy | LC |
| Indica Azalea, Southern Indica Azalea, Satsuki Azalea | Rhododendron indicum | Ericaceae | shrub | 3-6 feet | 4.5–6 | 6a - 9b | Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Shallow root system requires consistent moisture; water deeply 1-2 times weekly during dry spells. Mulch heavily with pine bark or pine needles to retain moisture and maintain soil acidity. | Moderate | LC |
| German Bearded Iris, Flag Iris, Common German Iris | Iris germanica | Iridaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) | 6.5–7.5 | 3a-9b | Full Sun | Low. Drought tolerant once established. Water primarily during active spring growth and late-summer root establishment. | Easy | NE |
| Beet, Beetroot, Table Beet, Garden Beet | Beta vulgaris | Amaranthaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-1.5 feet (30-45 cm) | 6.5–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Uniform watering (1 to 1.5 inches weekly); fluctuating soil moisture causes woody, cracked, or irregularly zoned roots. | Easy | LC |
| Bell Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Capsicum | Capsicum annuum | Solanaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 30-90 cm (12-36 inches) | 6–6.8 | 9-11 (grown as annual in zones 2-8) | Full Sun | Provide consistent moisture, approximately 1-2 inches per week. Mulch to stabilize soil moisture and reduce blossom end rot. | 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.