Plants

Picture: Tuberose growing in the garden Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa, recently reclassified in some botanical literature as Agave amica) is a perennial flowering plant native to Mexico, where it was cultivated by the Aztecs long before European contact. It belongs to the family Asparagaceae and is grown primarily for its extraordinarily fragrant white flowers, which produce … Read more

Picture: Rhubarb In The Garden Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a robust, hardy perennial plant belonging to the family Polygonaceae, which also includes sorrel and buckwheat. It originates from the cold, mountainous regions of Central Asia — particularly Siberia and China — where it has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Its culinary use in … Read more

Picture: Calla Lily growing in pots Calla lilies (Zantedeschia spp.) are elegant, sophisticated flowering plants native to southern Africa, particularly South Africa and Lesotho. Despite their common name, they are not true lilies — they belong to the family Araceae, making them relatives of peace lilies, anthuriums, and elephant ears. The genus Zantedeschia contains about … Read more

Picture: Coneflowers growing in the backyard Coneflowers (Echinacea) are among the most magnificent, ecologically valuable, and widely celebrated of all native North American prairie wildflowers, belonging to the daisy family Asteraceae and native to the open grasslands, prairies, dry woodlands, and rocky hillsides of central and eastern North America where they have evolved over millions … Read more

Picture: Ninebark shrubs in the front yard Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) is a magnificent, tough, and extraordinarily versatile native North American deciduous shrub belonging to the rose family Rosaceae, native to a wide range of habitats across eastern and central North America including stream banks, rocky slopes, woodland edges, and disturbed ground from Quebec and Ontario … Read more

Picture: Snapdragon in a Front yard Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) is one of the most charming, universally beloved, and enduringly popular of all cool-season flowering plants, belonging to the plantain family Plantaginaceae and native to the rocky hillsides, cliffs, and scrublands of the Mediterranean region, particularly the Iberian Peninsula of Spain and Portugal where numerous wild … Read more

Picture: Foxglove Flowers in the landscape Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is one of the most dramatically beautiful, ecologically valuable, and medically significant of all flowering plants native to the temperate regions of Europe and western Asia, belonging to the plantain family Plantaginaceae and growing naturally in woodland clearings, hedgerows, mountainsides, and disturbed ground across a wide … Read more

Picture: Daffodil in the Frontyard Daffodil (Narcissus) is one of the most universally beloved, instantly recognizable, and emotionally resonant of all flowering bulbous plants, belonging to the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae and native primarily to the meadows, woodlands, rocky hillsides, and coastal regions of southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa, with the greatest concentration of wild species … Read more

Picture: Daisy In a Container Daisy is one of the most universally recognized, deeply beloved, and emotionally resonant of all flowering plants, a name that encompasses a broad and diverse group of flowering plants belonging primarily to the vast daisy family Asteraceae — one of the largest and most successful plant families on earth, encompassing … Read more

Picture: Sunflowers Growing From Seeds In Container The sunflower is the most popular oilseed crop in Europe and North America, and the crop originated and was domesticated during the first millennium B.C. Sunflowers are believed to have been grown by American Indians in Arizona and New Mexico as far back as 3000 BC, and were … Read more