Plants for a Mary Garden: Blue Passionflower (Passiflora caeruleae)
Karen Also known as bluecrown passionflower and common passion flower, this vigorous vine is native to South America from Bolivia to Brazil and northern Argentina. It is a member of the…
Plant Profile: Flamingo Flower (Anthurium andraeanum)
Also known as tailflower, painter’s palette, oilcloth flower, and laceleaf this evergreen herbaceous perennial is native to the rainforests of Colombia and southwestern Ecuador and a member of the arum…
Plant Profile: Croton (Codiaeum variegatum)
Native to open forests and scrub in tropical and subtropical Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and the islands of the western Pacific Ocean, this tender evergreen shrub is a member of the…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae)
The unique orange and blue flowers of bird of paradise never fail to catch the eye and add a touch of the exotic to the surroundings. From spring to fall…
Plant Profile: Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae)
Indigenous to South Africa, this tender evergreen herbaceous perennial is a member of the Strelitziaceae, a small family closely related to bananas. The plant grows from a rhizome and forms…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Elephant Ear (Alocasia macrorrhiza)
For gorgeous foliage and a tropical look even in USDA Zone 4, try growing the tender perennial elephant ear. The gigantic upward pointing leaves are 3-6 feet long and carried…
Plant Profile: Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
Native to the tropics of Madagascar, this tender herbaceous perennial or evergreen subshrub is a member of the acanthus family, Acanthaceaea, that also includes bear’s breeches, shrimp plant, and Thunbergia.…
Plant Profile: Giraffe’s Knee (Gonatopus boivinii aka Zamioculcas boivinii)
Native to sand forests and deciduous forests of eastern and southeastern Africa, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the arum family, Araceae, that also includes peace lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, and…
Plants of the Bible: Giant Reed (Arundo donax)
Also known as Persian reed and bulrush this warm season, clump-forming, perennial grass is native to the Greater Middle East and common in Palestine, Syria, and the Sinai peninsula, forming…
Plant Profile: Copperleaf (Acalypha wilkesiana aka Acalypha tricolor)
Also known as Jacob’s coat, this broadleaf evergreen shrub is native to tropical and subtropical areas of New Guinea, Malaya, Fiji and nearby South Pacific islands. It is a member…