Garden plants for South Korea
102 plants that appear on garden plant lists for South Korea: 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.
South Korea 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 â
Vegetables (17)
- Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum
- Chili pepper Capsicum annuum (hot types)
- Chinese yam (nagaimo) Dioscorea polystachya · invasive in some regions
- Cucumber Cucumis sativus
- Daikon Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus
- Deodeok (bonnet bellflower) Codonopsis lanceolata
- Fuki (Japanese butterbur) Petasites japonicus
- Garlic Allium sativum
- Konjac (devilâs tongue) Amorphophallus konjac
- Minari (water dropwort) Oenanthe javanica
- Mung bean Vigna radiata
- Napa cabbage Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis
- Soybean (edamame) Glycine max
- Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas
- Wasabi Eutrema japonicum
- Welsh onion (scallion) Allium fistulosum
- Zucchini (courgette) Cucurbita pepo
Herbs (7)
- Fish mint (dokudami, rau diáșżp cĂĄ) Houttuynia cordata
- Japanese indigo (ai, dyerâs knotweed) Persicaria tinctoria
- Korean ginseng Panax ginseng
- Korean mint (baechohyang) Agastache rugosa
- Myoga ginger Zingiber mioga
- Perilla (shiso) Perilla frutescens · invasive in some regions
- Vietnamese balm (kinh giá»i) Elsholtzia ciliata
Fruit (9)
- Chinese chestnut Castanea mollissima
- Chocolate vine (akebi) Akebia quinata · invasive in some regions
- Five-flavour berry (omija) Schisandra chinensis
- Japanese persimmon Diospyros kaki
- Japanese plum Prunus salicina
- Japanese raisin tree (kenponashi) Hovenia dulcis · invasive in some regions
- Jujube Ziziphus jujuba
- Kolomikta kiwi (variegated kiwi vine) Actinidia kolomikta
- Yangmei (Chinese bayberry, yamamomo) Morella rubra
Flowers (11)
- Air plant (blushing tillandsia) Tillandsia ionantha
- Blackberry lily (leopard lily, shaga) Iris domestica
- Fan columbine (miyama-odamaki) Aquilegia flabellata
- Four-season orchid (jian lan, sword-leaved cymbidium) Cymbidium ensifolium
- Garden chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum x morifolium
- Hyacinth orchid (shiran) Bletilla striata
- Leopard plant (tsuwabuki) Farfugium japonicum
- Ominaeshi (golden lace, Patrinia) Patrinia scabiosifolia
- Rabbit-ear iris (kakitsubata) Iris laevigata
- Tiger lily Lilium lancifolium
- Yellow wax bells (kirenga-shĆma) Kirengeshoma palmata
Shrubs (26)
- Boston ivy Parthenocissus tricuspidata
- Camellia Camellia japonica
- Chinese juniper Juniperus chinensis
- Chinese redbud Cercis chinensis
- Climbing hydrangea Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris
- Common lilac Syringa vulgaris
- Coral ardisia (manryĆ) Ardisia crenata · invasive in some regions
- Fatsia (Japanese aralia, yatsude) Fatsia japonica
- Forsythia Forsythia x intermedia
- Japanese beautyberry (murasaki-shikibu) Callicarpa japonica
- Japanese holly (inutsuge) Ilex crenata · invasive in some regions
- Japanese mock orange (pittosporum) Pittosporum tobira
- Japanese pepper (sanshĆ) Zanthoxylum piperitum
- Japanese snowball (doublefile viburnum) Viburnum plicatum
- Japanese spindle (masaki) Euonymus japonicus
- Korean lilac (âMiss Kimâ) Syringa pubescens subsp. patula
- Korean rhododendron (jindallae) Rhododendron mucronulatum
- Korean spice viburnum Viburnum carlesii
- Lily magnolia (mulan) Magnolia liliiflora
- Mountain hydrangea (yama-ajisai) Hydrangea serrata
- Rhododendron Rhododendron
- Satsuki azalea Rhododendron indicum
- Sichuan pepper (huajiao) Zanthoxylum bungeanum
- Thunberg bush clover (miyagino-hagi) Lespedeza thunbergii
- Trifoliate orange (karatachi) Citrus trifoliata · invasive in some regions
- Winter jasmine Jasminum nudiflorum
Trees (19)
- Chinese fringe tree Chionanthus retusus
- Chinese parasol tree (wutong) Firmiana simplex · invasive in some regions
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus
- Empress tree (foxglove tree) Paulownia tomentosa · invasive in some regions
- Full-moon maple (hauchiwa-kaede) Acer japonicum
- Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba
- Japanese cedar (sugi) Cryptomeria japonica
- Japanese flowering cherry Prunus serrulata
- Japanese maple Acer palmatum
- Japanese red pine Pinus densiflora
- Japanese snowbell Styrax japonicus
- Japanese stewartia Stewartia pseudocamellia
- Japanese white pine (goyĆmatsu) Pinus parviflora
- Japanese zelkova (neutinamu) Zelkova serrata
- Kobushi magnolia Magnolia kobus
- Korean fir Abies koreana
- Korean pine Pinus koraiensis
- Persian silk tree (mimosa) Albizia julibrissin · invasive in some regions
- Trident maple Acer buergerianum
Grasses (3)
- Japanese sweet flag (sekishĆ) Acorus gramineus
- Korean feather reed grass Calamagrostis brachytricha
- Rice (Asian rice) Oryza sativa
Groundcovers (10)
- Bishopâs cap cactus Astrophytum myriostigma
- Chin cactus (grafted âmoon cactusâ) Gymnocalycium mihanovichii
- Ghost plant (mother-of-pearl plant) Graptopetalum paraguayense
- Hosta Hosta spp.
- Ladyfinger cactus (gold lace cactus) Mammillaria elongata
- Living stones (Leslieâs lithops) Lithops lesliei
- Moonstones (sugared almond plant) Pachyphytum oviferum
- Sacred lily (omoto) Rohdea japonica
- Strawberry begonia (yukinoshita) Saxifraga stolonifera
- Zebra haworthia (zebra plant) Haworthiopsis attenuata
Reference values for planning, not horticultural, veterinary or medical advice. Varieties, soils and local climates differ: check with a local nursery or extension service.