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| Abutilons are called "Flowering Maples" or "Parlour Maples" because most have maple-like leaves, but they're not closely related. These South American shrubs will do well in your parlour if you have one, but most are tender. A. megapotamicum is the hardiest, to zone 8b. Large, colorful flowers over a long season make them worth bringing in for the winter. | |
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Abutilon megapotamicum is one of the showiest, but also the hardiest of the genus. The species name means "from the big river", Brazil's Rio Grande. This is a shrub with aspirations to be a vine, with long, slender, arching branches that may be trained against a wall or fence. The leaves are lance-shaped, not maple-like, and may be evergreen or semi-evergreen in warmer climates, but is usually deciduous in zone 8, the bottom of its range. The pendant flowers are in evidence for a long season, and are very eyecatching. The calyx is red and closed, like a Bleeding Heart, and the yellow petals hang from the bottom like full yellow skirts. Easy and fast to grow, prefers morning sun but shade in the hot afternoon, and may benefit from pruning to make it more compact. |
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Abutilon 'Vesuvius' is a hybrid of A. megapotamicum, above, but with a maroon calyx and orange-scarlet and gold, deep red-veined flowers that are not flared. Deep green leaves have purple veins. An upright, fast-growing shrub. Zones 9&10. |
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Abutilon
pictum 'Souvenir de Bonn' has pretty
orange semi-open flowers, but the main feature of this variety is its
cream-edged leaves. It's a vigorous, erect small tree to perhaps 10'
in all dimensions. Typically evergreen, with all or nearly all the leaves
showing the variegation. Flowers are pendant, bowl-shaped, and soft
orange with green striations. 'Souvenir de Bonn' needs a zone 9 or 10
climate, or shelter indoors during the cold months. It does well in
a pot when pruned back heavily. |
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Acacia
pravissima -- Ovens
Wattle -- Triangular
phyllodes (what passes for leaves on Acacias) and a semi-weeping habit
give this 12' shrub a unique appearance. It is also covered with bronze
buds in the winter and sweet-scented bright yellow flowers in spring
when it's old enough to bloom. Needs sun and good drainage, resists
drought. Zones 8b-10. We
know of one being grown in a slightly colder zone that froze back to
the ground last year, and is now coming back in several new locations!
It doesn't normally spread, though. |
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Acca (Feijoa) sellowiana -- Pineapple Guava -- A bushy South American shrub grown for its attractive and interesting red and white flowers with long red stamens, and for its grey-green foliage. It's also grown for its tasty fruit in warm climates; however, although the plant is hardy in zones 8-10, early fall frosts can damage fruits in zone 8. Grow in a cool greenhouse for fruit in that zone; it's good as a potted plant. Wider than tall, the shrub will grow to about 6'x8', so makes a good hedge. It is also tolerant of drought and salt, and so an excellent choice for coastal areas. 5" deep pot |
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Acanthus mollis 'Hollard's Gold' -- A form of Bear's Breeches, with large, bold, gold-green leaves and equally bold spikes of white, often purple- or pink-bracted flowers. Good at the back of a border or as a specimen. Grows 3-4' tall and 3' wide in half to full sun. Zones 7-10.
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Aeonium sedifolium -- Dwarf Aeonium -- One of those "natural bonsai" plants, that is, not a bonsai at all, but looks like a miniature tree. Much-branched, with tiny rosettes of succulent, shiny, sticky lime green leaves that are streaked in red. The leaves are usually absent during the dormant summer period. Grows only to around 6". Zone 10 or houseplant only, filtered light. |
Photo by MamaGeek , Creative Commons Attribution-  ShareAlike
3.0 License. |
Aesculus
pavia -- Red
Buckeye -- An
attractive North American native shrub or small tree to 10-20' that
bears up to 10"-long panicles of red-orange flowers in spring, attracting
hummingbirds. The palmately compound leaves open with tan tones, then
change to dark green. In fall, the flowers give rise to shiny seeds
that are called Horse Chestnuts on European species, but Buckeyes on
American ones. |
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parryi var.
huachucensis -- Hardy Century Plant -- Looking
like a giant, blue-grey artichoke, this 2'x2' resident of the Huachuca
Mountain woodlands of southern Arizona/northern Mexico can go up to
2 years without water once established, though we recommend summer water.
The very rigid leaves form a compact rosette with armor-piercing spikes,
and when it flowers -- which may take a decade-- the spike may be 12'
tall. Forms offsets to make a patch. With excellent drainage, it can
tolerate 0°F, but 10-15, zone 8, is safer. Not recommended for wet-winter
areas, and drainage must be very good anywhere. |
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Aichryson
tortulosum --Tree Sedum -- Scurious succulent something like
a miniature jade plant. Its single stem, branching pattern, and curled
leaves give it the appearance of an 6" tall tree with a dense crown.
It has been used as a sort of bonsai, but we don't suggest this if you
want to stay in good standing with your bonsai club. It seems to like
a little more water and a little less full sun than most succulents,
and is an indoor plant for most of the country. Yellow Sedum-like flowers
in summer. |
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Allium
senescens var. glaucum has a rather typical globular, pale lavender
onion flower, but is distinguished by its gracefully twisted blue foliage
that grows in short, ground-hugging spirals. Zones 4-9. |
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| Aloe
striatula -- Hardy
Aloe -- Though
Aloes are known only as houseplants in most of the country, this one
will take Zone 8 winters, or even a bit colder, if certain conditions
are met. Foremost among these is excellent drainage, required to keep
the plant from rotting. Also necessary is full sun; the warmer the spot
the better for this South African native. This plant becomes a sizeable
shrub, up to 7', in the right conditions, with a deep green foliage
the picture doesn't do justice. If winters are wet, place under an eave
and grow in gravel. Very drought-tolerant once established. |
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Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, Porcelain Berry, is a vigorous, spreading vine that requires a trellis and may grow 8' tall or more, and 15' in spread. In the dry-summer west, it's perfectly tame and may be planted without concern, except that it does need room. However, in humid-summer climates, such as the eastern US, it's invasive, so we don't ship it east of the Rockies. It's great for shading an arbor, and will grow happily in either sun or shade. In fall, the plant is loaded with berries that are smaller than wine grapes. The berries ripen to a turquoise-blue, but go through stages of green, white, and purple to get there, with all colors usually present. They have a porcelain-like sheen that makes them look unreal.
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Amorphophallus.
konjac, formerly known as A. rivieri and sometimes called Snake
Palm, is perhaps the hardiest species, taking winters in zone 6, according
to some sources, though we can't confirm below zone 8. We recommend
a thick mulch during the winter in any zone. It doesn't hurt in the
summer, either. Sadly, our current crop of tubers are small, nickel-to
quarter-size, and a few years away from blooming. The good news it that
it is an intriguing plant even without the bloom, with its large leaves
and leopard-spotted stem. Same bad but short-lived odor as the other
plants in this genus. |
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Anigozanthos flavidus -- Kangaroo Paw -- As I first saw this genus in Australia 30 years ago, I was amazed tha no one had imported them into the US by the millions. Even now they are seldom seen or heard of, though some dwarf varieties have made it into west coast nurseries, at least. This is the easiest species to grow and the most hardy to frost, though we find it not quite hardy if left unprotected in zone 8. Deep green sword-shapd leaves to 3', with 4' spikes of yellow-green or pink-red flowers in the shape of, why not, a Kangaroo's paw. Zone 9, sun. |
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Anomatheca
laxa -- Scarlet
Freesia -- A
diminuitive member of the Iris family from South Africa, this plant
won't blow anybody away, but it does give a nice return on a small investment,
being very easy to grow. The flowers are small, but a bright and pleasant
red in mid- to late spring. Strap leaves grow to 8", making small clumps.
Zones 8-10, possibly a bit lower. Sometimes classed as Laperousia or
Freesia. Summer dormant. |
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| Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a well-known American wildflower, and Green Dragon a lesser-known one, but there are many other species, of the genus Arisaema, mostly much larger and mostly native to Asia, where they are called Cobra Lilies. They are Aroids, that is, members of the family Araceae, so the actual flowers are inside the hooded spathe, just as they are in its relatives, Calla Lily, Skunk Cabbage, and Philodendron. Strange and dramatic, they are mostly spring growers, though some emerge in summer. May be shipped as dormat tubers early and late in the year. | |
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Arisaema
triphyllum is called Jack-in-the-Pulpit because, in early New
England, many pulpits were covered, the preacher standing inside very
like the way the spadix sits inside the hooded spathe. It was an unusual-looking,
though fairly common, woodland wildflower, and there were more woods
then. Loss of habitat has made it less common, but people still find
it charming. It likes a cool, partially shaded spot with moist but well-drained
soil, and is hardy to zone 5. |
| Arisarum proboscideum -- Mouse Plant -- A shade-loving woodland wildflower with dense, glossy, heart-shaped leaves that hug the ground, growing to no more than 3-4". The early spring inflorescence looks remarkably like a mouse doing handstands in the foliage, complete with long tail. Summer-dormant. Zones 5-9. | |
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Aspidistra elatior -- Cast Iron Plant -- An easy, old-fashioned houseplant that got its name for its ability to withstand low light and sooty air in the early days of the industrial revolution. Though known as a houseplant, it is hardy to zone 8. Sherlock Holmes worried that Mrs. Hudson would damage his, he needn't have: it's a Cast Iron Plant. Flowers are interesting but not showy, pollinated by snails. 2-3' pointed leaves. |
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Aspidistra 'Milky Way' -- A different kind of variegation; lots of spots on this Chinese variety |
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Aspidistra cespitosum 'Jade Ribbons' -- Another Cast Iron Plant, but with very narrow, straplike leaves. China. |
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Acer palmatum --
