Garden plants for Italy
162 plants that appear on garden plant lists for Italy: vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers, shrubs and trees that gardeners there commonly grow, native or introduced. Each links to a growing guide with spacing, sun, water, hardiness, toxicity and sources.
Italy spans more than one climate. Being on this list does not mean a plant suits your own site: check its hardiness and water needs against your local conditions, and avoid plants listed as invasive in your area.
Plan a garden with these plants →
Vegetables (12)
- Alexanders (horse parsley) Smyrnium olusatrum
- Arugula (rocket) Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa
- Bell pepper Capsicum annuum
- Common ice plant (crystalline ice plant) Mesembryanthemum crystallinum · invasive in some regions
- Eggplant (aubergine) Solanum melongena
- Garlic Allium sativum
- Globe artichoke Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus
- Good King Henry Blitum bonus-henricus
- Onion Allium cepa
- Radicchio (chicory) Cichorium intybus var. foliosum
- Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
- Zucchini (courgette) Cucurbita pepo
Herbs (26)
- Alfalfa (lucerne) Medicago sativa
- Anise (aniseed) Pimpinella anisum
- Basil Ocimum basilicum
- Bay laurel Laurus nobilis
- Black mustard Brassica nigra · invasive in some regions
- Clary sage Salvia sclarea · invasive in some regions
- Common sage Salvia officinalis
- Conehead thyme (za’atar farsi, Spanish oregano) Thymbra capitata
- Curry plant Helichrysum italicum
- Dittany of Crete (dÃktamo) Origanum dictamnus
- Elecampane Inula helenium
- Fennel Foeniculum vulgare · invasive in some regions
- French sorrel (buckler-leaf sorrel) Rumex scutatus
- Liquorice Glycyrrhiza glabra
- Oregano Origanum vulgare
- Parsley Petroselinum crispum
- Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium · invasive in some regions
- Rock samphire (sea fennel) Crithmum maritimum
- Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus
- Salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba
- Spike lavender (broad-leaved lavender) Lavandula latifolia
- St John’s wort (common) Hypericum perforatum · invasive in some regions
- Thyme Thymus vulgaris
- Vervain (common verbena) Verbena officinalis
- White horehound Marrubium vulgare · invasive in some regions
- Woad Isatis tinctoria · invasive in some regions
Fruit (15)
- Almond Prunus dulcis
- Apricot Prunus armeniaca
- Bergamot orange Citrus bergamia
- Black mulberry Morus nigra
- Citron (incl. Buddha’s hand) Citrus medica
- Common fig Ficus carica
- Grapevine Vitis vinifera
- Lemon tree (dwarf) Citrus limon
- Medlar Mespilus germanica
- Peach Prunus persica
- Pistachio Pistacia vera
- Pomegranate Punica granatum
- Seville orange (bitter orange) Citrus × aurantium
- Strawberry Fragaria x ananassa
- Sweet cherry Prunus avium
Flowers (39)
- Agapanthus Agapanthus praecox
- Agrimony (church steeples) Agrimonia eupatoria
- Alpine avens Geum montanum
- Alpine snowbell Soldanella alpina
- Bearded iris Iris germanica
- Bear’s breeches Acanthus mollis
- Betony (bishop’s wort) Betonica officinalis
- Bougainvillea Bougainvillea glabra
- Creeping baby’s breath Gypsophila repens
- Dalmatian bellflower (wall bellflower) Campanula portenschlagiana
- Deadly nightshade (belladonna) Atropa belladonna
- Devil’s claw (tufted horned rampion) Physoplexis comosa
- Dog’s-tooth violet Erythronium dens-canis
- Dusty miller (silver ragwort) Jacobaea maritima
- Dwarf grassy bells (edraianthus) Edraianthus pumilio
- English lavender Lavandula angustifolia
- Florist’s cyclamen Cyclamen persicum
- Garden rose Rosa x hybrida
- Geranium (Pelargonium) Pelargonium x hortorum
- Great yellow gentian Gentiana lutea
- Italian clematis Clematis viticella
- King of the Alps (alpine forget-me-not) Eritrichium nanum
- Lady Banks’ rose (Banksian rose) Rosa banksiae
- Madonna lily Lilium candidum
- Margined primrose Primula marginata
- Martagon lily (Turk’s cap lily) Lilium martagon
- Myrtle spurge (donkey-tail spurge) Euphorbia myrsinites · invasive in some regions
- Peony Paeonia lactiflora
- Perennial candytuft Iberis sempervirens
- Poppy anemone (kalanit) Anemone coronaria
- Rock soapwort Saponaria ocymoides
- Saffron crocus Crocus sativus
- Spring pasque flower (lady of the snows) Pulsatilla vernalis
- Statice (wavyleaf sea lavender) Limonium sinuatum
- St Bruno’s lily (paradise lily) Paradisea liliastrum
- Upright myrtle spurge (gopher spurge) Euphorbia rigida
- Weld (dyer’s rocket) Reseda luteola
- Willow gentian Gentiana asclepiadea
- Yellow asphodel (King’s spear, Jacob’s rod) Asphodeline lutea
Shrubs (31)
- Alpenrose (rusty-leaved alpenrose) Rhododendron ferrugineum
- Caper bush Capparis spinosa
- Chinese wisteria Wisteria sinensis · invasive in some regions
- Common jasmine Jasminum officinale
- Common myrtle Myrtus communis
- Common rock rose (sun rose) Helianthemum nummularium
- Cotton lavender Santolina chamaecyparissus
- Foxtail agave (spineless century plant) Agave attenuata
- Garland flower (rose daphne) Daphne cneorum
- Italian buckthorn (alaternus) Rhamnus alaternus · invasive in some regions
- Japanese mock orange (pittosporum) Pittosporum tobira
- Japanese spindle (masaki) Euonymus japonicus
- Japanese wisteria (fuji) Wisteria floribunda · invasive in some regions
- Krantz aloe (candelabra aloe) Aloe arborescens
- Laurustinus Viburnum tinus
- Mastic tree (lentisk) Pistacia lentiscus
- Montpellier rock rose (narrow-leaved cistus) Cistus monspeliensis
- Oleander Nerium oleander
- Queen Victoria agave Agave victoriae-reginae
- Sage-leaved rock rose Cistus salviifolius
- Shrubby germander (tree germander) Teucrium fruticans
- Shrubby scorpion vetch (coronilla) Coronilla valentina
- Sicilian sumac (spice sumac) Rhus coriaria
- Silverbush (shrubby bindweed) Convolvulus cneorum
- Spanish broom Spartium junceum · invasive in some regions
- Spanish dagger (mound lily yucca) Yucca gloriosa
- Star jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides · invasive in some regions
- Tree heath Erica arborea
- Tree houseleek (aeonium) Aeonium arboreum
- Trifoliate orange (karatachi) Citrus trifoliata · invasive in some regions
- Wall germander Teucrium chamaedrys
Trees (29)
- Aleppo pine Pinus halepensis
- Canary Island date palm Phoenix canariensis
- Carob Ceratonia siliqua
- Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani
- Ceibo (cockspur coral tree) Erythrina crista-galli
- Cootamundra wattle Acacia baileyana · invasive in some regions
- Deodar cedar Cedrus deodara
- Empress tree (foxglove tree) Paulownia tomentosa · invasive in some regions
- European fan palm Chamaerops humilis
- European nettle tree Celtis australis
- European silver fir Abies alba
- Giant sequoia (Wellingtonia) Sequoiadendron giganteum
- Holm oak Quercus ilex
- Indian bean tree (southern catalpa) Catalpa bignonioides
- Italian cypress Cupressus sempervirens
- Italian stone pine Pinus pinea
- Judas tree Cercis siliquastrum
- Moreton Bay fig Ficus macrophylla
- Mount Etna broom Genista etnensis
- Norfolk Island pine Araucaria heterophylla
- Olive Olea europaea
- Ombú Phytolacca dioica
- Oriental plane Platanus orientalis
- Persian silk tree (mimosa) Albizia julibrissin · invasive in some regions
- Prickly juniper (cade) Juniperus oxycedrus
- Strawberry tree Arbutus unedo
- Swiss stone pine (arolla pine) Pinus cembra
- Terebinth (turpentine tree) Pistacia terebinthus
- Windmill palm (Chusan palm) Trachycarpus fortunei
Grasses (1)
- Rice (Asian rice) Oryza sativa
Groundcovers (9)
- Blue-eyed Mary (creeping navelwort) Omphalodes verna
- Cobweb houseleek Sempervivum arachnoideum
- Creeping fig (climbing fig) Ficus pumila
- Ghost plant (mother-of-pearl plant) Graptopetalum paraguayense
- Heart-leaved globe daisy Globularia cordifolia
- Hottentot fig (sour fig, ice plant) Carpobrotus edulis · invasive in some regions
- Ivy-leaved toadflax (Kenilworth ivy) Cymbalaria muralis
- Jelly bean plant (pork and beans) Sedum rubrotinctum
- Yellow whitlow grass Draba aizoides
Reference values for planning, not horticultural, veterinary or medical advice. Varieties, soils and local climates differ: check with a local nursery or extension service.