Now you can grow your own calorie-free, carbohydrate-free, low-glycemic sweetener at home! Stevia, also called sweetleaf, is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a long way. Some say the leaves have a slight, pleasant, anise aftertaste. The bushy, 18″-30″ tall plants can be grown in 10″-12″ diameter containers. Leaves are sweetest just before the plant flowers in late summer to fall. Grown as an annual, although perennial in USDA zones 10 and warmer.