Plant Profile: Sun Rose (Cistus ladanifer)
Karen 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…
Plant Profile: Long-Leaved Lacebark (Hoheria sexstylosa) ‘Stardust’
Also called ribbonwood, this compact evergreen tree or shrub is a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae) and endemic to New Zealand and the Kermadec Islands where it grows in…
Botanical Latin: Hebe
Hebe (HEE bee) Greek hebe meaning youth; named for the Greek goddess of youth Hebe is the name of a genus in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) and are closely related…
Shakspeare’s Garden: Myrtle
Common myrtle (Myrtus communis) is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean area. It grows up to fifteen feet high but takes well to shearing and so is often kept…
Plant Profile: Parrot’s Beak (Clianthus puniceus)
Also called lobster’s claw, this native of New Zealand’s North Island, is a small bushy evergreen shrub in the legume family (Fabaceae) . The dark green to gray green leaves…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Box (Buxus sempervirens)
Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), as it is called in America, is a slow growing evergreen shrub or small tree (15-30 feet tall) native to North Africa, western Asia, and Europe where…
Plant Profile: Golden Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia aurea)
Native to central Columbia and Ecuador, where it grows on the slopes of the Andes, is an evergreen shrub or small tree. It is considered extinct in the wild but…
Plant Profile: Monroe’s Ragwort (Brachyglottis monroi)
Native to New Zealand and Tasmania, this evergreen shrub forms a compact dome that tolerates the dry windy conditions of its natural maritime habitat on cliffs. The oblong leaves are…
Plant Profile: Berberis linearifolia ‘Orange King’
A native of Chile where it grows in woodlands 100-2000 feet above sea level, this vigorous evergreen shrub is upright and stiffly branched. The oval to lance shaped, shiny dark…