Stevia

Stevia is an aromatic plant with naturally sweet leaves, used fresh or dried to flavor herbal teas, drinks, and desserts. It is easily grown in pots in the sun.

Size

Hardiness Not hardy

Difficulty level Easy

Stevia is an aromatic plant with naturally sweet leaves, used fresh or dried to flavor herbal teas, drinks, and desserts. It is easily grown in pots in the sun.

FamilyAsteraceae

Stevia is a tropical aromatic plant highly prized for its green foliage with a naturally sweet taste. Its leaves can be used fresh or dried to sweeten infusions, iced teas, lemonades, desserts, fruit salads, smoothies, and homemade preparations. It is ideal for herb gardens, container vegetable gardens, edible planters, and patios, where it adds a gourmet, original, and easy-to-harvest touch.

Easy to grow during the warm season, stevia prefers a sunny to slightly semi-shaded location, in fertile, light, fresh, and well-drained soil. It appreciates regular watering to maintain tender and flavorful foliage, but excessive water around the roots should be avoided. As it is not hardy in our climate, it is generally grown as an annual or brought indoors before the cold, in a very bright spot.

Both decorative, useful, and very different from classic herbs, stevia is perfect for gardeners who want to grow a natural sweetener at home. Frequent harvesting of young leaves promotes a denser and more productive plant throughout the season. It's an excellent plant to enrich a gourmet garden, an urban vegetable patch, or a collection of herbs with an original, practical, and sweet variety.