Grow and Care for Germander

Grow germander in full sun on soil that drains. Shops also list wall germander. Shear after bloom if you want a low edge, and cut winter-killed wood in spring.

Full sun, and soil that drains

Wall germander and Iranian germander want full sun and ground that does not stay wet. Poor, gritty soil is enough. [1] American germander is the exception: it wants moister meadow ground and will thin in drought. Shade cuts bloom on the dry-sun types. Water through the first season so roots take hold. After that, missed waterings fail less often than a soggy crown. [2] Wall germander also spreads by rhizomes. That helps a low edge fill, and it can push past the line you wanted — pull runners at the edge if the bed must stay tight. Skip heavy feeding. Soft, lush growth flops and winters poorly.

Shear after bloom, and cut winter-killed wood in spring

A tidy edge is a cut, not a plant that stays box-like on its own. Spent flower stalks look messy if you leave them. [3] In spring you can also cut wall germander hard — down toward leafy wood a couple of inches above the ground — so the mound stays dense.

1. After bloom, shear wall germander back so the evergreen leaves fill in before winter.
2. Shear once or twice a year if you want a tight knot-garden line. In a formal bed, some gardeners shear through the season and skip the flowers. [4]
3. In spring, cut winter-killed wood to a uniform height into leafy stems. Pull older stems that have lain on the ground. Do not scalp into old bare wood — holes fill slowly.
4. Do not shear American germander as if it were box. Cut spent stems after the show, or in late winter before new growth. Tree germander takes shape cuts in mild climates after frost risk has passed.

If the edge has opened, shear after the next bloom and cut winter-killed wood in spring — do not wait for a second hedge to appear.