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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bigleaf Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, Hortensia, Lacecap Hydrangea | Hydrangea macrophylla | Hydrangeaceae | shrub | 3-6 feet | 5.2–6.8 | 5a - 9b | Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Requires regular deep watering, especially during dry summer periods. Leaves wilt rapidly when soil moisture depletes. | Moderate | LC |
| Black-eyed Susan, Brown-eyed Susan, Yellow Daisy, Gloriosa Daisy | Rudbeckia hirta | Asteraceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-3 feet | 6–7.2 | 3a - 9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Low to moderate; requires moderate moisture to establish, then becomes exceptionally drought tolerant. Avoid overhead watering to prevent foliar fungal disease. | Easy | LC |
| Common Blackberry | Rubus fruticosus | Rosaceae | shrub | 6-10 feet (1.8-3 m) on arching canes | 5.5–6.5 | 4a-9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Provide 1-1.5 inches of water weekly during flowering and fruiting. Drip irrigation keeps foliage dry and cuts Botrytis and cane disease pressure. | Moderate | LC |
| Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart, Lady in a Bath, Lyre Flower | Lamprocapnos spectabilis | Papaveraceae | herb_non_graminoid | 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) | 6–7.5 | 3a-9b | Partial Sun, Partial Shade, Full Shade | Medium to moist. Maintain consistent soil moisture throughout spring. Allow soil to dry slightly once dormant in mid-summer. | Easy | LC |
| Blue Fescue, Grey Fescue | Festuca glauca | Poaceae | herb_graminoid | 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) | 6–7.5 | 4a-8b | Full Sun | Low; drought-tolerant once rooted. Excess moisture causes crown rot. | Easy | LC |
| Bok Choy, Pak Choi, Chinese White Cabbage | Brassica rapa | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 0.5-1.5 feet (15-45 cm) | 6–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade | Keep soil evenly moist; drought stress or high summer temperatures will trigger premature bolting (flowering). | Easy | LC |
| Borage, Starflower, Bee Bread | Borago officinalis | Boraginaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5-3 feet (45-90 cm) | 6–7.5 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Moderate regular water; deep taproot provides drought resistance once mature. | Easy | LC |
| Border Forsythia, Golden Bells | Forsythia intermedia | Oleaceae | shrub | 8-10 feet | 5.5–7.5 | 5a - 8b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Moderate. Needs consistent moisture during establishment; moderately drought-tolerant once mature. | Easy | NE |
| Broccoli, Calabrese Broccoli, Sprouting Broccoli | Brassica oleracea | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1.5-2.5 feet (45-75 cm) | 6–7 | 2a-11b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Maintain consistent soil moisture with 1-1.5 inches of water per week; avoid overhead watering on developing heads. | Moderate | LC |
| Brussels Sprouts, Gemmifera Group | Brassica oleracea | Brassicaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 2-3.5 feet (60-105 cm) | 6.5–7.5 | 2a - 9b | Full Sun, Partial Sun | Maintain constant soil moisture (1-1.5 inches weekly); shallow root systems require organic mulching to prevent moisture stress. | Difficult | NE |
| Bush Bean, Snap Bean, String Bean | Phaseolus vulgaris | Fabaceae | herb_non_graminoid | 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) | 6–7 | 2-11; grown as a frost-free summer annual, direct sown once soil holds 60°F (16°C) | Full Sun | Provide about 1 inch / 2.5 cm of water per week. Maintain even moisture during flowering and pod development. Drip irrigation is preferred to reduce foliar disease. | Easy | NE |
| Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac, Orange Eye | Buddleja davidii | Scrophulariaceae | shrub | 6-10 feet | 6–7.5 | 5a - 9b | Full Sun | Drought-tolerant once established. Requires deep watering only during prolonged summer dry periods. | 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.