Plant Profile: Chinese Parasol Tree (Firmiana simplex)
Karen Also known as varnish tree and Phoenix tree, this deciduous tree is native to China, Japan, and Korea. It is a member of the mallow family, Malvaceae, that also includes…
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: Elephant Ear (Alocasia macrorrhiza)
Also called giant taro, this tender herbaceous perennial is native to tropical areas from India to Queensland, Australia where it grows in the understory and along streams. It grows very…
A Visit to The Winter Garden, Auckland, New Zealand
Located in the Auckland Domain in the center of the city, the Winter Garden is offers two huge greenhouses filled with plants and a giant fernery. One of the greenhouses…
Book Review: Modern Tropical Garden Design
Whether you live in the tropics and are planning a garden or want to create a tropical garden in the temperate zone you will find plenty of ideas in Made…
Plant Profile: Tree Dahlia (Dahlia imperialis)
This super large herbaceous perennial is native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia where it grows in the upper elevations of the mountains. It has a tuberous root system which…
Plant Profile: Chinese Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Also called tropical hibiscus, this evergreen perennial is a popular landscape plant in warm climates but also makes a good container plant in cool areas. The large shiny dark green…
Plant Profile: Royal fern (Osmunda regalis)
Royal fern is a deciduous perennial found on all continents except Australia. Its family, Osmundaceae, date back 230,000,000 years to the Permian days before man and other mammals but when…
Plant Profile: Persian Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin)
A native of southwestern and eastern Asia, Persian silk tree, sometimes called mimosa, and is a member of the legume family that also includes beans, lupine clover. It is a…
Plant Profile: Festival Grass Cordyline (Cordyline ‘Jurred’)
Most cordylines are large and tend to be stiff but this one is different. At 2-3’ feet tall Festival Grass cordyline has 2-3’ long strappy leaves that emerge upright buy…