Penetrating yellow flowers keep coming from May to October above evergreen leaves, on a shrub that asks practically no care at all. Saint John’s wort (Hypericum) earns its place in rocky ground, low hedges and pots, and in herbalism too — give it a very sunny spot and its bright colours will light up your day.
| Name | Hypericum |
|---|---|
| Family | Hypericaceae |
| Type | herbaceous perennial |
| Height | 1 to 3 feet (30 to 90 centimeters) |
| Exposure | full sun, part sun |
| Soil | ordinary, even poor, well drained |
| Flowering | early summer to early fall |
| Harvest | early to midsummer |
The penetrating yellow light that its flowers share is remarkable and will attract all eyes to the garden.
What is recommended is to plant Saint John’s wort in fall to support root development.
But still, you can also plant in spring, as long as you water abundantly at the beginning and over the following summer if the weather is hot and dry.
In a container, you can also plant in spring or summer, provided you water regularly.
Prune your Saint John’s wort at the end of winter or at the beginning of spring, before the first buds start opening up, to ensure you’ll have optimal blooming.
Pruning every year isn’t necessary, but if you run the shears along the bush every 2 or 3 years, you’ll ensure your Saint John’s wort will keep a compact bearing. Occasionally, a growth spurt will hit a single branch and make it grow long and leggy. Don’t be afraid to cut it shorter if it’s not growing in a direction you want it to go: it will branch out and make the shrub grow denser, and you’ll get more lush blooming later on, too.
If the foliage has dried out and the shrub looks bare and sparse, feel free to cut back to the ground and new shoots will start growing from the stump.
St John’s wort is a repeat-blooming flower. Removing wilted flowers will encourage new blooms.
However, because fresh flowers grow alongside forming fruits, this sometimes isn’t very easy, depending on the variety and the size of the flowers.
A very appealing shrub with distinctive yellow flowers, Saint John’s wort is also a herbal plant used by many in herbalism to fight depression!
It is also liked for its evergreen leafage.
Its name, Saint John’s wort, comes from the day it can usually be harvested in Europe, the Feast of Saint John. A particularly renowned species is Hypericum perforatum, which has small translucent glands within the flesh of its leaves. If you look through the leaves towards light, you’ll notice uncountable tiny holes.
Since this is an easy plant to grow and care for, you’ll have great results thanks to its hardiness.
In rocky ground, shrub beds, or even in pots or garden boxes, place it wherever you’re certain to see it so that the bright colors and beautiful flowers may light up your day.
Saint John’s wort is found either as ground cover or as a shrub, which makes it an ideal plant to grow in the ground and in pots.
Most Saint John’s wort varieties are herbaceous plants.
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Hypericums range from flat ground-cover carpets to waist-high flowering shrubs, and some are grown as much for their berries or coloured leaves as for the yellow flowers. The table below sets out the kinds most often sold, to help you match one to the spot you have in mind.
It also makes for great hedges, because its rapid growth will quickly break the view to and from your neighbor’s.
Just remember to prune it very early in spring because flowers will only appear on new sprigs that will start growing in the middle of spring.
Hypericum andosaemum – This is the ideal specimen to set up low-lying evergreen hedges. This variety never grows any taller than 32 inches (80 cm) and bears cute little yellow flowers.
Hypericum citrinum – As its name shows, its flowers are a luminous ornamental lemon-like color.
Hypericum inodorum – This very hardy and resilient Saint John’s wort will also bear innumerable flowers.
Hypericum moserianum – The mottled pink and green leaves make this one particularly appealing. Floral buds are pink and the flowers burst to reveal a striking yellow hue.
Hypericum patulum ‘hidcote’ – Considered by many to be highly ornamental, this Saint John’s wort bears very many flowers and truly illuminates your garden.
| Variety | Habit | Foliage | Flower and fruit interest | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Hidcote’ | Medium shrub | Semi-evergreen, dark green | Very large golden flowers, little fruit | Borders, low informal hedge |
| ‘Albury Purple’ | Medium shrub | Purple-flushed young leaves | Yellow flowers, red to black berries | Foliage colour, light shade |
| Magical series | Medium, compact | Green, upright stems | Berries in red, pink, white or bronze | Florist berries, mixed beds |
| ‘Tricolor’ | Dwarf, under 1 m | Variegated cream, pink and green | Yellow flowers, pink-tinged buds | Pots, edging, small gardens |
| ‘Elstead’ | Medium shrub | Deciduous to semi-evergreen | Small flowers then salmon-red berries | Cut stems, autumn interest |
| ‘Sunburst’ | Dwarf to medium | Blue-green | Golden flowers, fluffy stamens | Hot, dry, well-drained sites |
| ‘Gemo’ | Dwarf, neat mound | Narrow, blue-green | Star-shaped yellow flowers | Cold gardens, low massing |
| ‘Ames’ | Dwarf, rounded | Narrow, blue-green | Yellow flowers, seed capsules persist | Hardy edging, foundation planting |
