Plant Profile: Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata)
Karen Also called spreading yew, this evergreen tree or large shrub is native to Japan, Korea, and China. It has scaly reddish brown bark and can grow up to 50’ tall…
Plant Profile: Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica)
Heavenly bamboo is a semi-evergreen to evergreen shrub growing 3-8’ tall and a member of the barberry family, Berberidaceae, that also includes heavenly barberry, Oregon grape (Mahonia), and barronwort (Epimedium).…
Plant Profile: Texas Ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens aka Terania frutescens)
Also known as cenizo, purple sage, Texas barometer bush, and silverleaf, this compact evergreen shrub is native to open canyons, arroyos, ditches, ravines, and hillsides in Texas and northern Mexico…
Plant Profile: Silk Bay (Persea humulis)
Silk bay is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to peninsular Florida where it grows in sandy low woods, and margins of swamps and ponds. It is a member…
Plant Profile: Tan Oak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus aka Lithocarpus densiflorus)
Tan oak is an evergreen shrub or tree native to western US from Oregon to California where it grows on dry, rocky slopes and in chaparral. It is a member…
Plant Profile: Bluebloosom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
Blueblossom, also known as wild/California lilac, is an evergreen shrub endemic to southern Oregon to southern California where it grows in open woods and chaparral of coastal mountains. It is…
Best Flowering Brambles (Rubus spp) for the Garden
Brambles may not be at the top of your list of favorite garden shrubs but many are ornamental and deserve a place in the garden. The most common Rubus species…
Clerodenrums for the Garden
Clerodendrums are shrubs, lianas, and small trees growing three to thirty nice feet high/long and native to subtropical and tropical regions in Africa and southern Asia. They belong to the…
Plant Profile: Sun Rose (Cistus ladanifer)
Also known a rock rose and gum cistus, this flowering evergreen shrub is native to the western Mediterranean region. It is a member of the Cistaceae family, a small group…
Plant Profile: Barberry (Berberis valdiviana)
This native of Chile is a large evergreen shrub and resembles a holly. The shiny dark green leaves are pointed, and leathery. They are about three inches long and almost…