AMERICAN GARDENER

Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.), with their immense ball-shaped flower clusters are usually good for making an old-fashioned elegance to a yard. Blooming from midsummer to fall, hydrangeas grow 3 to 6 feet tall. There are 23 species of hydrangea, although only five are grown in the United States, with bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) also called French … Read more

Red-leaf Photinia, also referred to as Photinia × fraseri, belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is a hybrid species, a cross between Photinia glabra and Photinia serratifolia. This shrub is native to Eastern Asia, particularly Japan, China and Taiwan. Often grown as an ornamental shrub or small tree, red tip photinia (Photinia fraseri) produces bright … Read more

Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) is a large shrub that reaches heights between 15 and 20 feet. It is a member of the bittersweet family (Celastraceae). It originated from Korea, China, Eastern Russia and Japan and is usually called winged spindle tree, winged euonymus because of its wing-like leaves protruding from the stems. The common name “burning … Read more

Silver Maple is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canada. Its natural range extends from New Brunswick, central Maine, and southern Quebec, west in southeastern Ontario and northern Michigan to southwestern Ontario, and south in Minnesota to southeastern South Dakota, eastern Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Silver maples … Read more

The rubber tree (Ficus elastica), is a popular houseplant with large, glossy, and leathery leaves. It is native to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia. The plant belongs to the Moraceae family, which also includes figs and mulberries. It has become naturalized in Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and the US … Read more

The Arizona Cypress, scientifically known as Hesperocyparis arizonica, is a species of tree native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This evergreen tree belongs to the Cupressaceae family. The tiny leaves of an Arizona cypress tree look like scales and come in different shades of green in different varieties including gray-green and blue-green. The Arizona … Read more

The Nootka Cypress, also known as the Alaska Cedar or Yellow Cedar, is a species of coniferous tree native to the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest. Its scientific name is Callitropsis nootkatensis, and it belongs to the Cupressaceae family. The tree is named after the Nuu-chah-nulth people, also known as the Nootka, who are … Read more

Magnolia stellata, the star magnolia, is a slow-growing deciduous shrub or small tree. It bears large, showy white or pink flowers in early spring, before its leaves open. This species is closely related to the Kobushi magnolia, and is treated by many botanists as a variety or even a cultivar of that. However, Magnolia stellata was accepted … Read more