{"title":"Conradina (False Rosemary)","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrush past a \u003cem\u003eConradina\u003c\/em\u003e and the air answers back, resinous and clean, somewhere between rosemary and pine. The false rosemaries are low, aromatic shrubs of the mint family, dressed in fine needle-like leaves and hung in spring with small tubular flowers of lavender, pink, or white, each lower lip freckled with a deeper purple. The genus honors Solomon White Conrad, a Philadelphia botanist, and nearly all seven species grow wild on the deep, pine-fringed sands of the Southeast.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeveral are rarer than almost anything in American horticulture. \u003cem\u003eConradina glabra\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eConradina etonia\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eConradina grandiflora\u003c\/em\u003e are federally endangered, and \u003cem\u003eConradina verticillata\u003c\/em\u003e is listed as threatened, their sandhill habitat whittled away by development. Growing a nursery-propagated plant is a quiet way to keep a vanishing species in cultivation, and the bees are glad of the flowers besides.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"conradina-verticillata","title":"Conradina verticillata","description":"\u003cp\u003eA small shrub of the Cumberland Plateau, found only on the flood-scoured cobble and sand bars of three river systems in eastern Tennessee and a sliver of Kentucky: the Big South Fork of the Cumberland, the Caney Fork, and the Obed. The rest of the \u003cem\u003eConradina\u003c\/em\u003e clan keeps to the sand scrub of Florida and the Gulf Coast of Alabama, sun-baked and semitropical. This species took a different path, north into the cooler uplands, and the cold-hardiness that came with the move is the gift to gardens farther north.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCumberland rosemary lives by disturbance. The plants grow on bars scoured by spring floods and baked dry by August, and they need that rhythm to survive. Flooding strips out the taller competition that would otherwise shade them off the bar; the drought that follows is the condition their roots are tuned to. Extended floods snap off stem fragments and carry them downstream, where they root in fresh gravel and start new colonies. This is a plant that requires the river to behave like a river. Dam the system, stabilize the banks, and the species quietly disappears.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are other oddnesses. Cumberland rosemary is the only triploid in the genus, which makes seed production unreliable and most reproduction clonal, so what looks like a colony of separate plants is often a single sprawling individual rooting at the nodes. The genus honors Solomon White Conrad, an eighteenth-century Philadelphia botanist and Quaker schoolmaster whose name attached to this small clan of southeastern mints almost by accident. The leaves, crushed, smell so much like culinary rosemary that they have served as a kitchen substitute, though we would rather you grew the plant than ate it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLavender-pink flowers with darker throat spotting come in May and June, two-lipped and small but freely produced along the trailing stems. The low evergreen mat runs six to twelve inches high and spreads to two or three feet, the foliage holding through winter with a faint bronze cast in cold. Excellent in a rock garden, tumbling over a stone wall, or anywhere the conditions of the native cobble bars can be approximated.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFederally listed as threatened since 1991, which means this plant cannot be sold across state lines. South Carolina and in-person purchase only.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePhotos courtesy of Sally and Andy Wasowski.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/blogs\/the-node\/an-exploration-of-the-conradina-genus\"\u003eLearn more about the Conradina genus here\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057846161523,"sku":"CONR-VERT-01G","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/Conradina_verticilla_l7Q3C95pblex.jpg?v=1750447856"},{"product_id":"conradina-canescens","title":"Conradina canescens","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe conradinas are dense, aromatic, low shrubs of the mint family, dressed in small, usually needle-like green or gray leaves and hung with little pale purple flowers. Six or seven species grow wild in the southern United States, most of them in Florida on sand or very sandy soil, and all but this one (and one possibly new species) are federally listed as threatened or endangered. \u003cem\u003eConradina canescens\u003c\/em\u003e is the common, widespread member of the clan, a somewhat variable plant of the Gulf Coast dunes of northwest Florida and adjacent Alabama.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGray false rosemary makes a fine garden plant in sunny, sandy, well-drained places with little competition, and would grace an herb garden handsomely, though the leaves are not known to carry any culinary or medicinal value. Drought tolerant once established, the shrub is a natural for xeriscapes and other low-water plantings, and the aromatic foliage releases a clean, resinous scent when brushed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSite gray false rosemary where the fine gray foliage and pale flowers can be read up close: a rock or gravel garden, a hot sunny bank, a sandy coastal bed, or the front of a dry border, among other sun-and-drought lovers that will not crowd the low mound. Bees and butterflies work the flowers steadily, and deer pass the aromatic leaves by.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/blogs\/the-node\/an-exploration-of-the-conradina-genus\"\u003eLearn more about the Conradina genus here\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePhoto courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.wildflower.org\/gallery\/result.php?id_image=45869\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAlan Cressler\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057846227059,"sku":"CONR-CANE-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/IMG-7513.heic?v=1771508232"},{"product_id":"conradina-glabra","title":"Conradina glabra","description":"\u003cp\u003eSmooth aromatic shrub with soft green needle like leaves and pale white flowers. This endangered species native to deep sandy soil on bluffs and ravines near Apalachicola River in northwest Florida. Grow in sandy well-drained soil with minimal competition from other plants. Plant it in sun or very little shade. FEDERALLY LISTED ENDANGERED. CANNOT BE SOLD IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE. Woodlanders pioneered the horticultural use of many of the little-known shrubby mint family plants native to the southern U.S.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/blogs\/news\/an-exploration-of-the-conradina-genus\"\u003eLearn more about the Conradina genus here\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057846390899,"sku":"CONR-GLAB-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-1879.jpg?v=1720137590"},{"product_id":"conradina-canescens-gray-mound","title":"Conradina canescens 'Gray Mound'","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConradina canescens\u003c\/em\u003e 'Gray Mound' is a silver-leaved selection of the false rosemary that grows wild on the deep, pine-fringed sands of the northern Gulf Coast, in Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida panhandle, where the species once mingled with sea oats and longleaf pine. A member of the mint family, this aromatic shrub carries soft, needle-like foliage in a ghostly silver-gray, and from spring into early summer, sometimes again in the cool of fall, offers a flush of pale lavender to bluish, two-lipped flowers that native bees and butterflies work eagerly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Gray Mound' is a Woodlanders selection made for form: where wild plants vary in leaf color and habit, this clone is remarkably uniform, dense, tidy, and mounding, spreading gently in well-drained sand with a sculpted, restrained elegance. The low silver cushion suits dry native landscapes, xeriscapes, rock and gravel gardens, and coastal restorations, and the aromatic foliage keeps deer at a distance while perfuming the air when brushed by a hand or the wind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSite 'Gray Mound' where the silver foliage and fine texture can do quiet work: near an entry, along a path, at the edge of a dry bed, or repeated through a larger planting for rhythm. Pair with stone, gravel, and other fine-textured, drought-tolerant companions that share the taste for sun and sharp drainage, and give room for the mound to be read on its own. The genus honors Solomon White Conrad (1779 to 1831), a Philadelphia botanist whose name lives on in this small clan of southeastern mints.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057846456435,"sku":"CONR-CANE-GRAY-MOUN-01G","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-2135.jpg?v=1720137593"},{"product_id":"conradina-etonia","title":"Conradina etonia","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a federally listed endangered species. NOT FOR SALE IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE. It is a new species discovered by Bob McCartney in Putnam County, Florida in 1990 and introduced by Woodlanders. Medium mint family shrub larger than most other Conradina species. Has aromatic oval leaves unlike other Conradinas which have needle-like leaves. Large pale lavender flowers similar to Conradina grandiflora. Native to very limited area on deep sandy soil. If given sunny site with good drainage it grows well in the garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/blogs\/news\/an-exploration-of-the-conradina-genus\"\u003eLearn more about the Conradina genus here\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057846521971,"sku":"CONR-ETON-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-939.jpg?v=1720137596"},{"product_id":"conradina-grandiflora","title":"Conradina grandiflora","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis small to medium shrub is in the mint family. It is a small shrub with gray-green narrow Rosemary-like aromatic leaves. The flowers are bluish and larger than other Conradinas. It is native on old dunes and deep sandy soil at scattered locations along the east coast of Florida. It needs a sunny site with well-drained sandy soil. Conradina grandiflora is a federally listed endangered species.\u003cstrong\u003e NOT FOR SALE IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/blogs\/news\/an-exploration-of-the-conradina-genus\"\u003eLearn more about the Conradina genus here\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057846554739,"sku":"CONR-GRAN-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-1674.jpg?v=1720137599"},{"product_id":"conradina-brevifolia","title":"Conradina brevifolia","description":"\u003cp\u003eEndemic to a few localities in two central Florida counties, this aromatic mint shrub is a FEDERALLY LISTED ENDANGERED SPECIES AND CANNOT BE SOLD IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE. Similar to Conradina canescens it is a low wiry shrub with dense foliage consisting of grayish small needle-like leaves. The small tubular flowers are pale lavender to white. Native on deep sterile sandy soil in sunny sites, it should be planted in locations that are sunny and well-drained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/blogs\/news\/an-exploration-of-the-conradina-genus\"\u003eLearn more about the Conradina genus here\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057846587507,"sku":"CONR-BREV-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-2038.jpg?v=1720137601"},{"product_id":"conradina-sp","title":"Conradina sp.","description":"\u003cp\u003eSome years ago we introduced two selections of \u003cem\u003eConradina\u003c\/em\u003e collected on the Styx River in southern Alabama, called 'Low Gray' and 'Low Green', and we hope those clones survive in cultivation somewhere still. On a return visit to the Styx River site we gathered several more cuttings from distinctly low-growing plants. This conradina haunts a sandy woodland and cutover near the Styx River, and may well represent a new, as yet undescribed species; what appears to be the same plant turns up some miles east on Blackwater State Forest in northwest Florida. The Styx River plant differs clearly from the taller, more upright \u003cem\u003eConradina canescens\u003c\/em\u003e of the open Gulf Coast.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a fine, aromatic, ground-hugging shrub with short green or gray needle-like leaves and small purple flowers, releasing a clean, resinous, rosemary-like scent when brushed. Plant in sandy, well-drained soil in full sun, where the low, spreading habit can knit into a fragrant mat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSite the Styx River rosemary where the trailing form and aromatic foliage earn their keep: a rock or gravel garden, a hot sandy bank, a dry sunny border, or spilling over a low wall. The flowers draw bees and butterflies, deer leave the scented leaves alone, and a settled plant asks almost nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057846620275,"sku":"CONR-SP-01G","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-2018.jpg?v=1722714931"}],"url":"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/collections\/conradina.oembed","provider":"Woodlanders","version":"1.0","type":"link"}