This figwort family (Scrophulariaceae) genus of some 300 species of annuals, biennials, perennials, and subshrubs includes cultivated plants and many that have become weeds outside thier natural Eurasian and North African range. The commonly cultivated species usually form basal rosettes of large elliptical leaves, often quite heavily veined and sometimes felted .Tall upright flower spikesemerge [...]

A figwort family (Scrophulariaceae) genus of 250 species of annuals and perennials, it is widespread in the northern temperate zones. Most species are creeping mat-forming plants that sometimes strike root as they spread. Their leaves tend to be small, oval to lance-shaped, often shallowly toothed, and rarely pinnately lobed. A few species have solitary flowers [...]

This genus consists of 150 easily grown; cool-climate; deciduous, semi-evergreen, or evergreen; shrubby plants that are grown for their flowers, autumnal leaf color, and berries. Most have erect branching stems, paired leaves, and a spread about two-thirds their height. Small, sometimes fragrant, white flowers are displayed in dense clusters. In certain species the flowers somewhat [...]

The type genus for the family Violaceae, Viola includes some 500 species of annuals, perennials, and subshrubs found in the world’s temperate zones, ranging from the subarctic to the mountains of New Zealand. The majority are small clump-forming plants with lobed, kidney-shaped, or heart-shaped leaves. All violas have similarly shaped 5-petalled flowers, with the lower [...]

The10 or 12 species of this genus within the Caprifoliaceae family are deciduous long_lived shrubs with opposite oblong to elliptic leaves. Their natural habitat is scrubland and the edges of woods in eastern Asia. Cultivated for thier bell- or funnel-shaped flowers that are produced in late spring and early summer, they have pink, red, white, [...]

Often seen luxuriously covering porches and verandahs and capable of spreading a considerable +distance, the 10species of twining deciduous vines of the genus Wisteria belong in the pea family (Fabaceae). When young, the pinnate leaves are a soft bronze-green shade but turn light green when mature. The flowers, primarily mauve in the species, occur in [...]

Native to hot dry regions stretching from North to Central America and the West Indies, there are about 40 species in this genus within the Agavaceae family, including evergreen herbaceous perennials, trees, and shrubs. They have a strong bold form with strap-to lance-shaped leaves arranged in rosettes. Bell-to cup-shaped flowers are held on mostly erect [...]

The large calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is a plant that polarizes opinions. Some gardeners love it, while others can’t abide its funereal associations. Named for Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi (1773-1846), this arum family (Araceae) genus comprises 6 species of rhizome-rooted perennials from southern Africa. They have large, elongated, upward-facing, heart-shaped leaves that taper to long [...]

This daisy family (Asteraceae) genus of around 20 species of annuals, perennials, and small shrubs occurs naturally from the south-central U.S.A. to Argentina, with its center in Mexco. They have soft light green leaves that range from linear to broadly spat-ula-shaped, depending on the species. While the flowers of the wild species are typically daisy-like [...]

The large calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is a plant that polarizes opinions. Some gardeners love it, while others can’t abide its funereal associations. Named for Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi (1773-1846), this arum family (Araceae) genus comprises 6 species of rhizome-rooted perennials from southern Africa. They have large, elongated, upward-facing, heart-shaped leaves that taper to long [...]