Stevia

• Type: tender perennial
• Planting time: spring
• Features: green leaves that taste very sweet
• Light: full sun
• Height: 12 to 36 inches
• Soil: light, well drained, let dry between waterings
• Spacing: 18 inches
• Garden use: herb gardens and containers

Also called sweetleaf for the very sweet taste of its leaves. An herb member of the chrysanthemum family that is native to parts of Brazil, where it grows wild as a small shrub. Grow it in containers or in the garden. You will find powdered sugar-like stevia products sold in stores, although the USDA does not allow it to be sold as a food additive, only as a nutritional supplement. It is reliably perennial in zones 9 to 11 and may overwinter in zone 8 with protection.

Some Bonnie Plants varieties may not be available at your local stores, as we select and sell varieties best suited to the growing conditions in each region.