St. John's Wort Plant Profile

St. John's Wort Plant Profile

St. John's Wort (Hypericum spp.) is a dense, mounding shrub or woody perennial plant often used as a groundcover. It has large, bright-yellow flowers that bloom in summer.

It prefers to grow in fertile, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It is hardy to zones 4 to 8. It is deer-resistant and also drought-tolerant once established.

You can prune them in late summer after flowering to neaten up their appearance.

St John’s Wort can be used as a low border or informal hedge. They are often planted on slopes for erosion control.

The common St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) came over from Europe with the colonists and is prized for its medicinal uses. It gets its common name from St. John the Baptist, whose saint’s day is June 24, which is the traditional date to harvest the flowers. Other common names for it include Goatweed, Devil’s Scourge, and God’s Wonder Plant – among many others.

The Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum) is native to the Mid-Atlantic region and eastern half of the United States. It prefers rocky soils, but is clay-tolerant.

The Kalm St. John's Wort (Hypericum kalmianum) is native to the Great Lakes region. It grows to about 3 feet high.

The Golden St. John's Wort 'Sunburst' (Hypericum frondosum) is native to the American south. It grows to about 4 feet high and is more heat-tolerant than other varieties, but it is also more susceptible to root rot when planted in damp soils.

St. John's Wort: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Video and editing by Taylor Edwards

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

 

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