Tomato
Solanum lycopersicumFull sun
Your garden, one plant at a time.Good things
Good things
grow together.
A bed starts with one plant. Find its perfect growing company.
Choose. Combine. Grow.Start with a favorite
THE PLANT EXPLORER
Find a little green you love.
83 plants to discoverChoose a plant to see your matches
Basil
Ocimum basilicumSun / part shade
Lavender
Lavandula angustifoliaFull sun
Lettuce
Lactuca sativaSun / part shade
Strawberry
Fragaria × ananassaSun / part shade
Carrot
Daucus carota subsp. sativusSun / part shade
Chives
Allium schoenoprasumSun / part shade
Bell pepper
Capsicum annuumFull sun
Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinusFull sun
Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosumSun / part shade
Sunflower
Helianthus annuusFull sun
Thyme
Thymus vulgarisFull sun
Mint
Mentha spicataSun / part shade
Parsley
Petroselinum crispumSun / part shade
Cilantro
Coriandrum sativumSun / part shade
Dill
Anethum graveolensFull sun
Sage
Salvia officinalisFull sun
Oregano
Origanum vulgareFull sun
Chamomile
Matricaria chamomillaFull sun
Marigold
Tagetes patulaSun / part shade
Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majusSun / part shade
Spinach
Spinacia oleraceaSun / part shade
Radish
Raphanus sativusSun / part shade
Beetroot
Beta vulgarisSun / part shade
Cucumber
Cucumis sativusFull sun
Zucchini
Cucurbita pepoFull sun
Pea
Pisum sativumSun / part shade
Green bean
Phaseolus vulgarisFull sun
Raspberry
Rubus idaeusSun / part shade
Blackberry
Rubus spp.Full sun
Swiss chard
Beta vulgaris (Cicla Group)Sun / part shade
Rocket
Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativaSun / part shade
Kohlrabi
Brassica oleracea (Gongylodes Group)Full sun
Calendula
Calendula officinalisSun / part shade
Cosmos
Cosmos bipinnatusFull sun
Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpureaSun / part shade
Redcurrant
Ribes rubrumSun / part shade
Gooseberry
Ribes uva-crispaSun / part shade
Spring onion
Allium cepaFull sun
Garlic
Allium sativumFull sun
Lamb's lettuce
Valerianella locustaSun / part shade
Pak choi
Brassica rapa (Chinensis Group)Sun / part shade
Lemon balm
Melissa officinalisSun / part shade
Cornflower
Centaurea cyanusFull sun
Zinnia
Zinnia elegansFull sun
Potato
Solanum tuberosumFull sun
Onion
Allium cepaFull sun
Leek
Allium ampeloprasum (Porrum Group)Full sun
Broccoli
Brassica oleracea (Italica Group)Sun / part shade
Aubergine
Solanum melongenaFull sun
Rhubarb
Rheum × hybridumSun / part shade
Dahlia
Dahlia (garden hybrids)Full sun
Cranesbill
Geranium sanguineumSun / part shade
Hokkaido pumpkin
Cucurbita maxima 'Uchiki Kuri'Full sun
Kale
Brassica oleracea (Sabellica Group)Sun / part shade
Cauliflower
Brassica oleracea (Botrytis Group)Full sun
Sweetcorn
Zea mays (Sweetcorn Group)Full sun
Celeriac
Apium graveolens (Rapaceum Group)Sun / part shade
Florence fennel
Foeniculum vulgare (Azoricum Group)Full sun
Lovage
Levisticum officinaleSun / part shade
French tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus 'Sativa'Full sun
White cabbage
Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group)Full sun
Red cabbage
Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group)Full sun
Brussels sprouts
Brassica oleracea (Gemmifera Group)Full sun
Parsnip
Pastinaca sativaFull sun
Jalapeño chilli
Capsicum annuum 'Jalapeño'Full sun
Curly endive
Cichorium endivia (Crispum Group)Sun / part shade
Borage
Borago officinalisSun / part shade
Garlic chives
Allium tuberosumFull sun
Broad bean
Vicia fabaFull sun
Early turnip
Brassica rapa (Rapifera Group)Full sun
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalisSun / part shade
Summer savory
Satureja hortensisFull sun
Sorrel
Rumex acetosaSun / part shade
Mizuna
Brassica rapa subsp. nipposinica var. laciniataSun / part shade
Blackcurrant
Ribes nigrumSun / part shade
Stalk celery
Apium graveolens (Dulce Group)Full sun
Sweet marjoram
Origanum majoranaFull sun
Sweet pea
Lathyrus odoratusFull sun
Yarrow
Achillea millefoliumFull sun
Woodland sage
Salvia nemorosaSun / part shade
Orange coneflower
Rudbeckia fulgidaSun / part shade
Peach-leaved bellflower
Campanula persicifoliaSun / part shade
A JOURNEY THROUGH PLANT EVOLUTION
Travel back to our green beginnings.
Scroll back through 470 million years. Discover the roots of the plants around you.
- Today01 / 06Present day
Your garden has deep roots.
Tomatoes, basil and sunflowers belong to the flowering plants. Their family tree reaches back into the age of dinosaurs.
Living examples · tomato, basil, sunflowerSource · Kew - ≈ 80 million years ago02 / 06Late Cretaceous
The daisy family takes root.
Fossil pollen from Antarctica places the daisy family around 80 million years ago. Sunflowers and daisies are living relatives of this ancient lineage.
Living relatives · sunflower, daisySource · Kew - ≈ 130 million years ago03 / 06Early Cretaceous
A world begins to bloom.
Early flowering plants appear in the fossil record. Flowers and seeds enclosed in fruits open a new chapter; their exact evolutionary origin is still debated.
Early-branching living lineages · water lilies, AmborellaSource · Kew - ≈ 300 million years ago04 / 06Late Carboniferous
Seeds without flowers.
Conifers have a history stretching back more than 300 million years. Their seeds develop without an enclosing fruit, unlike those of flowering plants.
Living relatives · pines, firs, redwoodsSource · Kew - ≈ 360 million years ago05 / 06Early Carboniferous
The age of fern fronds.
The lineage of leptosporangiate ferns dates to roughly the start of the Carboniferous. Ferns reproduce by spores; many familiar fern groups diversified much later.
Living relatives · many of today’s familiar fernsSource · Schuettpelz & Pryer · PNAS - ≈ 470 million years ago06 / 06Ordovician
A small step onto land.
Tiny fossil spores provide evidence of early land plants around 470 million years ago. Their exact appearance and relationships remain uncertain; mosses offer a living comparison.
Living comparison · mosses, not the same ancient speciesSource · Natural History Museum
Ma = million years ago. Dates are approximate milestones for lineages or fossils, not the ages of living species. Illustrations show living relatives or simplified forms. The timeline is not to scale.
Flowers · Annual
Marigold
Tagetes patula
Warm orange flowers on a compact, easy-to-place plant.
Make it part of your growing collection.
A LITTLE EVERYDAY CARE
A few things worth knowing.Help it thrive.
Remove faded flowers
Deadheading helps French marigolds continue flowering through their growing season.
Water while establishing
Keep the soil evenly moist and freely drained. Plants tolerate dry conditions better once established.
Choose the right marigold
This is compact French marigold, Tagetes patula. Other marigold species can grow much larger and need different spacing.
Care guide · NC State ExtensionSource checked 14 Sept 2026 · Adapt timing to your climate and variety.
Growing essentials.
- Sunlight
- 2+ hours of sun (sun or part shade)Source-backed
- Moisture
- Moderate moistureSource interpretation
- Soil pH
- Not verifiedExcluded from score
- Drainage
- Moist, well-drainedSource interpretation
- Nutrients
- Not verifiedExcluded from score
- Soil texture
- clay / loam / sandSource-backed
- Plant spacing
- ≈ 25 cmPlanning estimate
- Growing depth
- ≈ 20 cmPlanning estimate
- Typical height
- ≈ 35 cmPlanning estimate
- Growing season
- warm-seasonPlanning estimate
Source-backed preferences and planning estimates are labelled separately. Missing values are not treated as a match. Spacing and depth still depend on cultivar and growing method.
Data sources & uncertainty
Sunlight
Sun or partial shade is listed. 2+ hours is a broad category, not a yield guarantee.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Moisture
Qualitative moisture preference from the growing description; ordinal model, not a measured watering schedule.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Soil pH
No precise numeric pH range verified. Broad acid/neutral/alkaline tags are not converted into invented bounds.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Drainage
Free drainage is recommended; the ordinal distinction is an interpretation, not a measured drainage rate.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Nutrients
No comparable numeric nutrient requirement verified; excluded from scoring.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Soil texture
Listed or described textures are examples, not an exhaustive list of tolerances. Unlisted texture alone is not a hard exclusion.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Plant spacing
Cultivar-dependent planning allowance, not a verified universal planting distance.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Growing depth
Approximate planning value; cultivar, growth stage and container form change the requirement.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Typical height
Approximate planning value; cultivar, growth stage and container form change the requirement.
Source · checked 2026-09-14Growing season
Broad growth preference only; excluded from scoring because no location or planting date is known.
Source · checked 2026-09-14