Plants
Huernia pillansii
Huernia pillansii, also known as the cocklebur, is a succulent native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. It features star-like or cup-like flowers that bloom in late summer to early fall. This plant is winter-dormant and requires well-draining soil, making it a unique addition to succulent collections.
Centaurea cyanus 'Blue Boy'
Centaurea cyanus 'Blue Boy' is a charming annual known for its sky-blue flowers that are both drought-tolerant and edible. This plant self-sows, ensuring a return of blooms each year. 'Blue Boy' is ideal for attracting pollinators and adding a splash of color to gardens, making it a delightful choice for borders and wildflower meadows.
Scindapsus 'Pictus Exotica'
Scindapsus 'Pictus Exotica' is an easy-care, fast-growing vining plant with big heart-shaped green leaves and shimmery silver variegation. It prefers bright, indirect light and can grow over 8 feet long indoors. This plant is easily propagated, making it a popular choice for indoor gardening.
Asclepias speciosa
Asclepias speciosa, commonly known as showy milkweed, is a robust perennial native to western North America. It features green to silvery-green foliage and pink to white star-shaped flowers that bloom in summer. This plant is drought-tolerant and serves as a host for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Its milky sap and woolly seed pods have been used medicinally and for crafting by Native Americans.
Lysimachia ephemerum
Lysimachia ephemerum is a hardy herbaceous perennial native to parts of Europe and North Africa, including France, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. It features grey-green foliage and erect racemes of white flowers with purple stamens that bloom in early summer. This non-weedy plant thrives in full sun and requires moist soil, making it a suitable choice for USDA zones 7 to 9.
Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Hydrocotyle leucocephala, commonly found in South American wetlands, is a versatile aquarium plant with half-dollar-like leaves. It is undemanding and fast-growing, capable of creating a carpeting effect with frequent trimming. This plant thrives in moderate light and requires CO2 for optimal growth.
Alocasia macrorrhizos
Alocasia macrorrhizos, also known as giant taro, is a tropical plant with thick, glossy green leaves that are held upright on rigid stems. Native to Southeast Asia and the Pacific, it is cultivated for its ornamental and edible qualities. The plant is frost-tender and prefers warmer temperatures, thriving in well-drained soils.
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'
This large hydrangea shrub produces enormous white cone-shaped blooms that change to pink in summer, attracting pollinators with its fragrance. It provides four seasons of interest and is native to the southern United States. It is hardy in USDA zones 5-9 and prefers morning sun and afternoon shade with well-draining, slightly acidic soil. It grows to a mature height and width of 5 feet.
Philodendron mexicanum
Philodendron mexicanum is a large, easy-to-care-for plant with tri-lobed leaves that are dark green with a burgundy or maroon reverse. It grows as an epiphyte and thrives in bright, indirect light. This plant can reach 1 to 3 feet tall and prefers its soil to dry out between waterings.
Pleurothallis index
Pleurothallis index is a small orchid species found in Colombia and Ecuador, growing at elevations of 2,460 to 6,400 feet. It blooms in the fall with successive single-flowered inflorescences, making it a unique addition to orchid collections.
Pilosocereus ulei
Pilosocereus ulei is a tall, columnar cactus native to Brazil, reaching heights of up to 20 feet. It features dense spines and blooms with white or cream-colored flowers in the summer. This slow-growing cactus is drought-tolerant and prefers bright, indirect sunlight. It can be grown outdoors in USDA zones 10-11 and is propagated by stem cuttings. The plant produces small, edible fruits and requires well-draining soil.
Solanum melongena
Solanum melongena, commonly known as eggplant, is perfect for container gardening with its tidy habit and glossy, oval, purple fruits. Best harvested when 3 to 4.5 inches long, this prolific plant has a firm texture and mild flavor, ideal for roasting, frying, or glazing.
Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu Jiro'
This plant produces sweet, crisp, non-astringent, seedless fruit that ripens from September through October with high yields up to 50 lbs per year. It grows in USDA zones 7-10, requires full sun and 200 chill hours, and matures at 10-15 feet tall and wide.
Hoya 'Pubicalyx Speckles Red Button'
Hoya 'Pubicalyx Speckles Red Button' is a vining plant known for its easy care and thick, uniquely shaped leaves. It offers a variety of leaf colors and is pet-friendly, making it a popular choice for indoor plant enthusiasts.
Elaeagnus submacrophylla
Elaeagnus submacrophylla is an evergreen shrub with olive to dark green foliage that has a silvery scale appearance. It produces fragrant white flowers in fall and edible berries with a tart and sweet flavor. This fast-growing plant is salt-tolerant and suitable for coastal areas.
Cedrus deodara
The large, fast-growing evergreen tree native to the Himalayas is known for its pyramidal form and light grayish-green needles. It can reach heights of 40-50 feet and widths of 30 feet. This tree is drought-tolerant, acts as a natural insect repellent, and requires minimal maintenance. It thrives in USDA zones 7-9, preferring full sun and well-draining soil.
Nymphaea 'Pimkan'
Nymphaea 'Pimkan' is a hardy water lily with striking pink blossoms and lush green pads. It thrives in various climates and water conditions, attracting dragonflies and butterflies.
Peperomia caperata 'Luna Red'
This plant features wrinkled leaves with deep ridges and a silver-green color with a purple/red overlay and red stems. It grows in a rosette pattern and produces rat-tail-like inflorescence. Preferring shade, it thrives in temperatures ranging from 50 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and requires dry periods between waterings.
Pilea ovalis
A fast-growing species from Central and South America, this plant is known for its amazing leaf patterns. It prefers bright, indirect light and moderate humidity but tolerates lower light conditions and does not require much ventilation. Moist soil and sphagnum moss help with rooting, and it can be pruned to create plantlets, making it easy to propagate.
Euphorbia pteroneura
Euphorbia pteroneura is a succulent shrub native to Mexico, characterized by fleshy green stems with small leaves at the tips. It is drought-tolerant and requires well-draining soil, with the ability to tolerate light frost.
Haworthia 'Concolor'
Haworthia 'Concolor' is a miniature succulent native to South Africa, known for its speckled green leaves with a bumpy texture. It forms loose rosettes up to 5 inches in diameter and produces tall bloom stalks with tiny white blossoms. This pet-safe plant thrives in low indoor light and requires great drainage and infrequent watering.
Nolina microcarpa
Nolina microcarpa, also known as bear grass, is a large, clumping species native to northern Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico. It features evergreen, grass-like leaves that can reach nearly 36 inches in length and produces tiny white flowers in spring. The plant is dominant in desert grasslands and chaparral, resprouting after wildfires. It provides food for wildlife but is toxic to some livestock.
Hoya australis
Hoya australis is a fragrant vine found on rainforest margins and rocky areas in Australia. It features glossy, lanceolate leaves and clusters of star-shaped white flowers with a pink blush. This plant attracts butterflies and thrives in bright indirect light.
Sarracenia 'Red Sumatra'
This nearly all-red pitcher plant is a naturally occurring hybrid of S. flava and S. leucophylla, known for its prolific nectar glands that attract many insects. The red traps darken to deep red by mid-summer, and a second crop of maroon pitchers appears in the fall. It produces showy orange-red flowers that bloom from April to May and requires full sun for its red coloration. The plant grows well in bog gardens, greenhouses, and indoors if provided dormancy.
Lycoris traubii
Lycoris traubii is a bulbous plant from Taiwan that blooms in October with golden-orange, spidery flowers. Its foliage persists through winter, and it is deer-resistant. This plant is often confused with L. aurea.
Mimosa pudica
Mimosa pudica, commonly known as the sensitive plant, is a fascinating perennial native to the Caribbean and South America. It is renowned for its rapid leaf-folding response to touch, a defense mechanism that exposes its spines. This plant features forest green, compound leaflets and globe-shaped lilac-pink blooms. It thrives in tropical climates as a perennial but is often grown as an annual or houseplant elsewhere. Mimosa pudica prefers nutrient-poor soils and is not shade-tolerant. It is also known for its ability to extract heavy metals from polluted soils, making it useful for phytoremediation. Despite its beauty, it can become invasive in some regions.
Begonia 'Monica'
Begonia 'Monica' is a houseplant with dark leaves featuring bright spots and splashes, adding a pop of color to indoor spaces. It prefers bright, indirect light and well-draining soil, making it suitable for containers and terrariums. Its unique foliage makes it a popular choice for plant enthusiasts.
Sobralia macrophylla
Sobralia macrophylla is an orchid species found from Central America to tropical South America, known for its large, striking, and fragrant flowers. The flowers are often white or light-colored, making this plant a standout in tropical gardens.