Products

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

*

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

Shade tolerant. Seed from trees with trunks.A heavy winter mulch is advisable for young plants in areas where palms are marginal. Or, the plants may be potted when received and kept inside the first winter.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

A silver-blue jewel among native palms, this is the rare glaucous form of saw palmetto, the low fan palm that carpets the pine flatwoods and coastal plains of the Deep South. Most saw palmettos wear green leaves, but this selection, native chiefly to the east coast of Florida, holds fans of striking silvery blue, a metallic glaucous bloom that lifts the plant from a workhorse native to an ornamental of real presence.

Hardiness

Zones 8–11

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

5–10 ft.

Spread

6–8 ft.

Bloom

White

Plant type

Palm

Traditional use

reproductive health

Serissa foetida 'Kowloon', now more correctly placed as Serissa japonica, is a small, dense evergreen shrub known by a string of affectionate names: snow rose, tree of a thousand stars, and Japanese boxthorn. The genus stands alone in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, a surprising cousin to coffee, gardenia, and pentas. The unlovely species name foetida records the one fault, since bruised leaves and roots give off a faintly unpleasant smell, a small price for so much charm.

Hardiness

Zones 7–9

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

2–3 ft.

Spread

2–3 ft.

Bloom

White

Plant type

Shrub

Palm grass earns the name at a glance. The broad, pleated blades of Setaria palmifolia fold and arch like the fronds of a young palm, bringing a lush, tropical boldness to a border that most grasses cannot match. This is a plant grown for presence and texture rather than flower, a bright green statement in beds, containers, and the wilder corners of a garden where form is welcome.

Hardiness

Zones 7–10

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

2–4 ft.

Spread

2–3 ft.

Plant type

Grass

Shibataea kumasaca is the most civilized of bamboos, a low, dense, evergreen kind grown for tidy structure rather than height. The short, broad, oval leaves are unusual for a bamboo, closer to the foliage of ruscus or a small shrub than to the fine blades most bamboos wear, which is why the plant goes by ruscus-leaf bamboo. Growing to about four or five feet, the canes zigzag gently from node to node, giving a second common name, zig-zag bamboo.

Hardiness

Zones 6–9

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

4–5 ft.

Spread

3–5 ft.

Plant type

Bamboo

Silene caroliniana is native in woodlands locally but this selection from our friends at North Creek Nurseries is excellent. Let North Creek tell it: "Delightful, compact and easy to grow, Silene caroliniana is an excellent choice for bright shade or full sun. It is covered in deep pink flowers in late spring. Very reliable for us through wet and dry seasons for three years now and in a cool spring it seems to bloom forever - one year we tracked 8 weeks of full bloom! A great native substitute for Dianthus, this Silene has similar appearance and bloom time, but tolerates a wider variety of garden situations. Silene 'Short and Sweet' is a fantastic plant for naturalizing, yet it can hold its own as a specimen in a container or patio garden as well."

Hardiness

Zones 5–9

Height

6–8 in

Spread

12–15 in

Mexican Catchfly is a low herbaceous perennial with spathulate leaves and showy red-orange starry flowers on stems held well above the foliage. It is native to mountains and canyons in the southwestern U.S. and adjacent Mexico. We grew these from seed we collected in the Davis Mountains in west Texas. A good rock garden plant for sun or semi shade.

Hardiness

Zones 7–9

Height

12–15 In

Spread

12–15 In

Royal catchfly wears the most electric red in the native flora. Silene regia sends up leafy, upright stems two to four feet tall, topped in mid to late summer with loose clusters of brilliant scarlet, star-shaped flowers, each with five deeply notched petals. Few prairie plants flower in true red, and fewer hold that color through the heat of July and August, which makes this native a genuine standout.

Hardiness

Zones 5–8

Light

Part Shade / Full Sun

Height

2–4 ft.

Spread

1–2 ft.

Bloom

Red

Plant type

Perennial

This perennial "Catchfly" has striking crimson flowers with notched petals. It flowers from late spring/early summer. A well-drained, gritty soil is good and in the North a full sun exposure is preferable. In the South it should have light shade. Not a strong competitior so don't let other plants overwhelm it. Native to eastern North America.

Hardiness

Zones 4–8

Height

1–2 ft.

Spread

6–12 in.

Low growing, spreading perennial with fringed deep pink flowers. Hybridized by Dr. Jim Ault and named for Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. One parent is the federally listed endangered species S. polypetala from Georgia. (See ARM)

Hardiness

Zones 6–8