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Dense shrub with small holly-like evergreen leaves. Collected in Sierra de la Ventana, Argentina.

Little Bluestem is a relatively tall perennial bunch grass native to most of the U.S and southern Canada. It thrives in hot dry areas and is relatively common as a prairie grass. This selection called 'Prairie Blues' is described by North Creek Nurseries as: " Consistant grey-blue, ribbon-like foliage takes on hues of orange and red as the season transitions to autumn. Sturdy, narrow stems and an upright habit." Plant in a sunny site with well-drained soil and keep free of competing vegetation.

Hardiness

Zones 4–8

Height

30–40 in

Spread

15–20 in

'The Blues' is a nice blue foliaged selection of this native bunch grass. Thrives in heat and humidity. Good for mass plantings. Blue foliage intensifies in fall, with deep burgandy red mingling throughout the clump as it goes to tan winter color which remains an attractive garden feature. A sunny well-drained site is needed for good growth.

Hardiness

Zones 5–9

Height

3–4 ft.

Spread

1–2 ft.

Bloom

Various

Little known species rather recently introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum. A vigorous climber with ornmental potential. From Anhi Province, China.

Hardiness

Zones 6–9

Silvery leaves. Creamy white flowers. From the U.S. Arboretum. (See DIR)

Hardiness

Zones 5–8

Vigorous self-clinging deciduous vine with large leaves and large flat heads of Hydrangea-like white fertile and sterile flowers. Seems better than Hydrangea petiolaris for South. Woodlanders introduced this after obtaining it from China via University of British Columbia, Canada. Needs space and strong support to climb on. Will climb high into a tree but may then flower up high out of sight.

Hardiness

Zones 7–9

This scilla is a fall flowering bulb that blooms from late August through September in either full shade or full sun. Pink lolipop flowers adorn blue-green stems. They are exceptionally hardy and suitable for most soils. Will multiply in the garden.

Hardiness

Zones 7–9

Height

8–10 in.

Spread

6–8 in.

Mounding herbaceous perennial probably evergreen in zone 10. Leaves about 1" long and dark green. Tubular flowers on erect 3-4" spikes held just above foliage. Vivid purple. We are indebted to JoAnn Breland of Charleston, SC Parks Dept. for introducing us to this attractive plant. We have listed it as a subtropical but do not know how hardy it may be.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

Height

12–15 in.

Spread

15–18 in.

Showy skullcap earns the flattering half of the common name honestly: of the eastern woodland skullcaps, Scutellaria serrata carries some of the largest and most richly colored flowers. The genus name comes from the Latin scutella, a little dish or tray, for the small pouch on the upper side of the seed capsule that gives every skullcap its family resemblance. A member of the mint family, Lamiaceae, showy skullcap keeps the square stems and paired leaves of that clan, here with bright green, boldly toothed foliage often edged in wine-red.

Hardiness

Zones 5–8

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

1–2 ft.

Spread

1–2 ft.

Bloom

Blue

Plant type

Perennial

Some plants arrive with a pedigree, and some arrive with a person. This one came to us from Ken Wurdack, a botanist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and his work centers on the systematics and evolution of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. He's the sort of botanist who describes entirely new genera in the tribe Hippomaneae, which happens to be the exact tribe Sebastiania sits in. So this is a spurge handed over by a man who names spurges for a living, which is about the best reference a euphorb could ask for.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

Light

Full Sun

Height

6–16 ft.

Spread

4–10 ft.

Plant type

Shrub

Hardiness

Zones 5–8

Seemannia (Gloxinia) nematanthodes which we originally (and mistakenly) offered as Achimenes heterophylla, produces very showy bright red inflated flowers in late summer above dark velvety green leaves. A somewhat succulent perennial, forming colonies to about one foot tall from tubers that look like little pinecones. This plant will over winter in the South but should have a winter mulch. As weather warms, remove this covering to allow new shoots to emerge. Given rich soil and ample water, these plants will thrive during hot summers. Plant in semi-shady site with good drainage but with irrigation. We originally obtained this special little plant from a private garden in Beaufort, South Carolina. Our friends at Plant Delights Nursery offer a very similar plant with perhaps more yellow in the throat of the flower. They collected it in Argentina and offer it by the variety name 'Evita'.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

Height

8–10 in.

Spread

10–20 in.

Selaginella braunii, known in older texts as Selaginella involvens and in gardens as Braun's spikemoss or the arborvitae fern, belongs to one of the oldest surviving lineages of plants on Earth. The Selaginellas are not true ferns but spikemosses, an ancient group whose ancestry runs back more than three hundred million years, long before flowering plants reshaped the world. In the shaded understory of primeval forests these plants held their ground, and Braun's spikemoss carries that inheritance forward with quiet dignity.

Hardiness

Zones 7–10

Light

Part Shade / Full Shade

Height

12–18 in.

Spread

18–24 in.

Plant type

Fern

Selaginella moellendorffii is one of those rare plants that quietly remind a gardener how ancient and astonishing the plant kingdom can be. A member of the storied Selaginella lineage, survivors from the Carboniferous coal forests, this spikemoss brings a piece of deep botanical time into the modern shade garden.

Hardiness

Zones 7–10

Light

Part Shade / Full Shade

Height

6–8 in.

Spread

5–8 in.

Plant type

Fern

Peacock moss is not a moss at all but a very low, spreading fern relative, a spikemoss whose scale-like leaves clothe trailing stems that root as they run and knit into patches across moist, shaded ground. The great distinction of Selaginella uncinata is color: in good light the foliage takes on an iridescent, metallic blue-green sheen, the peacock shimmer that gives the plant a common name.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

Light

Full Shade / Part Shade

Height

2–4 in.

Spread

8–10 in.

Plant type

Fern

Traditional use

detoxification & cleansing, digestive health, pain relief, topical applications, respiratory support

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Early yellow flowering evergreen groundcover for shade.

Hardiness

Zones 4–9

Height

6–12 in.

Spread

8–24 in.

Senecio confusus, commonly known as the Mexican Flame Vine, hails from the warm, sun-soaked regions of Mexico and Central America. This vibrant climbing vine has been cherished for generations, not only for a striking appearance but also for resilience and versatility in various landscapes.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

Light

Full Sun

Height

8–12 ft.

Bloom

Orange

Plant type

Vine

This conifer native to California and southern Oregon is the familiar giant redwood tree. A specimen of this tree over 300 feet tall may be the tallest tree in the world. It grows well in much of the Southeast U.S. region and there are large specimens in Williamsburg, VA., Abbeville and Charleston, South Carolina. it needs a well-drained but moist, fertile soil. Maximum size may not be reached in cultivation and not in a human lifetime but obviously a Redwood needs ample space.

Hardiness

Zones 7–9

Height

200–300 ft.

Spread

60–100 ft.

Saw palmetto is the signature palm of the Deep South, a low, fan-leaved evergreen that carpets the pine flatwoods, scrub, and coastal dunes from the Carolinas through Florida and along the Gulf. The genus honors the American botanist Sereno Watson, and the species name repens, creeping, describes the sprawling habit, while the common name comes from the fierce saw-toothed edges that arm each leaf stalk. Serenoa repens is the only species in the genus, and among the most abundant plants in Florida.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

5–10 ft.

Spread

6–8 ft.

Bloom

White

Plant type

Palm

Traditional use

reproductive health