Selaginella–commonly called club moss or moss fern–is a mossy, fernlike perennial that grows in mounded clumps or upright with creeping branches. Selaginella has a delicate airy effect. It thrives in moist, shady conditions. Selaginella are grown for their foliage. Selaginella is neither a true moss nor a true fern, but it has characteristics of both. […] More
Sarracenia–commonly called pitcher plant–is a carnivorous perennial native to bogs from Canada to Florida. Sarracenia grows from 6 to 36 inches tall from underground stems. Leaves form hollow tubes with short soft hairs on the edges and may be green, purple, or flushed with yellow. The lips of Sarracenia leaves secrete a nectar that attracts […] More
Nertera–commonly called bead plant–is a tropical ground-hugging perennial covered with tiny oval or round leaves 1/4 inch in size. Nearly inconspicuous bell-shaped flowers appear in summer followed by fleshy, spherical orange-red berries. Nertera is usually grown as a houseplant for its decorative berries. Outdoors in tropical regions, Nertera can be grown as a groundcover or […] More
Bidens is a short-lived perennial that bears bright golden yellow daisy-like flowers with a light honey fragrance. Biden leaves are bright green and divided into threadlike segments. Bidens is a small mounding, spreading, and training plant. It grows 7 to 24 inches tall and about 24 inches wide. It is well-suited for flower borders. It can […] More
Leonotis–commonly called lion’s ear or lion’s tail–is an open-branched perennial that bears clusters of showy, two-lipped flowers in tiers along upright stems. The blooms come in red-orange, scarlet, and orange, as well as white. The common name, lion’s ear refers to the flowers’ corollas (petals) that resemble lion’s ears. Leonotis can be grown in borders […] More
Lithodora is a low-growing perennial subshrub grown for its masses of brilliant blue flowers. Lithodor’s summer flowers appear above ground-hugging linear, lance-shaped bright green leaves. Lithodora is a colorful choice as a groundcover and in rock gardens. Lithodora will spill over rock walls and the edges of containers. Lithodora is a genus of seven species of […] More
Phytolacca – commonly called Pokeweed– are grown for their attractive autumn foliage and their decorative fruit. Leaves are ovate to elliptic and the perennial species have colored stems. Panicles of small, shallowly cup-shaped flowers are followed by spherical dark red to blackish-purple berries. Grow Phytolacca in a larger border, light woodland, or waterside planting. Phytolacca grows best […] More
Ruellia – commonly called False Petunia or Mexican Petunia–is a tropical perennial that bears colorful flaring, bell-shaped flowers with five shallow lobes. Ruellia is grown outdoors in tropical and subtropical regions or cultivated in a warm greenhouse or indoors in cool temperate and cold-winter regions. Ruellia is grown for its attractive foliage–the leaves are bright green, opposite, […] More
Patrinia is a genus of 15 species of clump-forming perennials that bear small cup-shaped yellow or white flowers on long, usually leafless stems. Patrinia forms mounds of deeply cut or lobed leaves. The flowers appear in flat-topped clusters blooming in summer. Patrinia are a good choice for borders, woodland gardens, and rock gardens. Patrinia can be […] More
Tellima – commonly called Fringe cups– is a rosette-forming herbaceous perennial that bears small, bell-shaped, white to greenish-white flowers from spring to midsummer. Tellima’s basal leaves are heart-shaped or triangular to kidney-shaped. Tellima grows best in moist, humus-rich soil in partial shade, but Tellima will tolerate dry soil and full sun. It is drought tolerant. Tellima […] More
Stylophorum–commonly called Welsh poppy– produces saucer-shaped, poppy-like yellow or orange flowers on long leafless stalks. The flowers appear in spring and summer. The flower stalks Stylophorum arise from basal rosettes of bright green leaves. Stylophorum is an attractive addition to woodland gardens and shady borders among shrubs. Stylophorum grows best in rich soil in deep shade […] More
Knautia–commonly called blue buttons–is a perennial that bears bluish-lilac flowerheads with soft bristly bracts. Knautia closely resembles its cousin Scabiosa and is sometimes called field Scabiosa. Knautia is clump-forming. It has erect hairless stems; dull green slightly lobed leaves to 10 inches (25cm) long grow from the base of the plant; upper leaves are deeply […] More
Stephen Albert