AMERICAN GARDENER

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum) are popular garden plants. They’re a genus of plants in the Plantaginaceae family, commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flowers’ fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are also sometimes called toadflax or dog flower. Snapdragons have unique, … Read more

Antirrhinum is a genus of plants in the Plantaginaceae family, commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flowers’ fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are also sometimes called toadflax or dog flower. They are native to rocky areas of Europe, the United … Read more

Chilopsis is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing the single species Chilopsis linearis. It is known commonly as desert willow or desert-willow because of its willow-like leaves, but it is not a true willow – being instead a member of the catalpa family. It is a small deciduous tree or shrub native to the … Read more

Narcissus is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil, narcissus, and jonquil, are used to describe all or some members of the genus. They are the national flower of Wales and are often associated with St. David’s Day celebrations. The genus Narcissus is native … Read more

The pistachio tree (Pistacia vera) a member of the Anacardiaceae family, (the cashew family, which also includes mango and sumac) is a small to medium tree originating in Persia. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. It thrives in the long hot summers and chilly winters of U.S. Department of Agriculture plant … Read more

Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi, formerly known as Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi, native to Madagascar, is widely sold as a house or garden plant that has established itself in the wild in some southern parts of the United States of America. Its specific epithet fedtschenkoi honors botanist Boris Fedtschenko (1873-1947). Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi is a low-growing, frost-tender perennial succulent which prefers dry, open ground. … Read more

Kalanchoe beharensis is a plant species in the succulent genus Kalanchoe, and the family Crassulaceae. Kalanchoe beharensis is native to Madagascar known by local names mongy, rongy and tavitavy. It may be grown as a houseplant in a bright, sunny windows with sufficient aeration to prevent the proliferation of insect pests. They may live outdoors in mostly … Read more

Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (also known as desert cabbage, white lady, geelplakkie, meelplakkie, or plakkie) is a species of flowering plant native to Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Eswatini. Typically found in grasslands, often on rocky outcrops or in areas where there’s good drainage. This succulent adapts to environments where there’s a clear distinction between wet and dry … Read more

Kalanchoe luciae, the paddle plant or flapjacks, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Kalanchoe, native to northeast South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The plant thrives in a climate with hot summers and cooler winters, though it’s frost-sensitive. Its habitat experiences a … Read more

Kalanchoe daigremontiana, formerly known as Bryophyllum daigremontianum and commonly called mother of thousands, alligator plant or Mexican hat plant, is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. In its natural habitat, it grows in rocky areas, often on limestone hills. Like other members of Bryophyllum (now included in the genus Kalanchoe), it can propagate vegetatively from plantlets that develop on its leaf margins, as … Read more