Plant Profile: Dwarf Palmetto Palm (Sabal minor)
Karen Dwarf palmetto, also known as swamp palmetto, is native to the deep southeastern and south-central United States and northeastern Mexico where it grows in a variety of habitats, including maritime…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Blue Passionflower (Passiflora caeruleae)
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…