Plant Profile: Mexican Orange (Choisya ternate)
Karen As it name suggests, Mexican orange is a member of the citrus family, and bears an abundance of similar, sweetly scented, white flowers but no edible fruits. The star-like flowers…
Plant Profile: Rose Daphne (Daphne cneorum)
Native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, this evergreen shrub is known for the fragrance of its blooms. Clusters of small bright pink flowers are produced in April…
Plant Profile: Carolina Silverbell (Halesia tetraptera)
The dainty white snowdrop-like flowers of Carolina silverbell create a lovely sight in spring as they flutter in the breeze on leafless stems. In their native range in southeastern United…
Plant Profile: Bearberry Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri)
This evergreen shrub native to central China is one of the best broadleaf evergreens for a groundcover. It offers attractive leaves, small fragrant white flowers in spring, bright red berries…
Plant Profile: Redvein Enkianthus (Enkianthus campanulatus)
This deciduous upright shrub is a native of Japan where it grows in open woodlands offering three seasons of beauty. In spring, it produces pendulous clusters of delicate bell-shaped yellowish…
Plant Profile: Mirror Plant (Coprosma repens)
Although mirror plant is considered a weed in its native New Zealand, it has naturalized in California where it is grown for its orange-red berries in late summer and its…
Plant Profile: Golden Chain Tree (Laburnum x watereri)
There is probably no more beautiful sight in the garden than a golden chain tree in bloom with its long dense pendulous chain of yellow pea-like flowers in spring. As…
Plant Profile: Siberian Peashrub (Caragana arborescens)
“Underwhelming” is probably the best adjective to describe this extremely hardy plant. Neither the small yellow-pea like flowers nor the pods or leaves will probably excite you, but if you…
Plant Profile: Japanese Kerria (Kerria japonica)
This deciduous shrub offers masses of yellow flowers on upright and arching green stems for two or three weeks in April or May and may rebloom in the summer. The…
Plant Profile: Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus)
The reddish-brown flowers of this deciduous bush are loaded with a spicy fragrance that will fill the air with their pleasant aroma when they open in late spring. A native…