Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Ceratostigma willmottianum

Family: (Plumbaginaceae)

(TP) to 4′. Chinese Plumbago. West China to Tibet. Deciduous shrub. Leaves lanceolate to obovate. Slender angled stems are tinged purple and bristly. Dense terminal heads of five-lobed, pale blue flowers, white centres, and red-purple corolla tubes. Foliage turns a beautiful tinted red in autumn. Sun/partial shade. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Chasmanthe bicolor

Family: (Iridaceae)

Tender bulb to 3′. Two Colour Cobra Lily. A choice South African bulb to cheer your winter blues. Emerging from dormancy in late fall, the silky, sword-shaped leaves arranged in a fan, precede the hot-coloured blooms in mid-winter. The blooms are alternately arranged on a long raceme, which is laden with the eye-catching, six-petalled, tubular flowers that are up to 3 inches long and feature orange-scarlet upper and lateral tepals. The three, greenish yellow, lower tepals are fused forming a cylindrical perianth tube containing valuable nectar. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Tibouchina urvilleana

Family: (Melastomataceae)

(TP) to 12′. Princess Flower, Glory Bush. Brazil. The silky, saturated purple blooms are the best. These showy, five-petalled flowers appear on terminal, three-forked panicles and display long, purple stamens. Fresh green, ovate, and acute leaves have prominent, parallel veins and are felted with soft, white hairs. Cool temperatures cause the leaves to change colour to blushed peach to red. We have a handsome specimen in a warm greenhouse and we love adding smaller plants to the flower beds, and grow many in pots. Moist soil. Sun. 3 & T2

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Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Ruscus aculeatus

Family: (Asparagaceae)

Tender evergreen shrub to 3′. Butcher’s Broom. Mediterranean, Central Europe. This is a stellar plant for pot culture in your home. Numerous, dark, glossy green stems are covered with sharp, rigid, scale-like leaves called cladophylls. Tiny, white flowers arise in the centre of the cladophylls and are followed by incredible, bold, red berries which persist indefinitely. Very interesting. Sun/partial shade. 3 & T3, then it may need 40

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Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Puya chilensis

Family: (Bromeliaceae)

(TP) to 13′. An easy, “must-have” native to the arid hillsides of Central Chile. Dense, basal rosettes of pale green leaves reach up to three feet in length, and are amply equipped with hooked, leathery, marginal spines. In the wild, the flowers appear on stalks up to 10 feet tall atop which sits a three-foot long flowerhead. These prominent flowers have strident, green-yellow sepals, chartreuse petals, and bright yellow anthers. Our greenhouse specimen reaches a respectable five feet. Sun. 4 & T2, keep moist

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Albuca bracteata (syn. Ornithogalum longibracteatum)

Family: (Asparagaceae)

Tender bulb to 3′.  Pregnant Onion.  South Africa.  Beautiful spikes of white striped green, star-shaped flowers.  The smooth, green bulb becomes very large and produces many bulbils attached to the sides of the mother bulb.  These bulbils become flowering size very quickly.  The foliage is two inches wide and a smooth, glossy green.  An easy and fascinating houseplant.  Sun.  3 & T3, then may need 40º for 2-3 months.

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Narcissus serotinus

Family: (Amaryllidaceae)

Tender bulb to 10″. An autumn-flowering Mediterranean species with a white perianth and a minuscule, golden yellow corona. Light citrus scent. We grow it in our Pit House where it blooms for Thanksgiving. Charming and easy to raise from seed. Sun. 3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Melasphaerula ramosa

Family: (Iridaceae)

Tender corm to 12″. Fairy Bells. South Africa. Slender, loosely branched flower stalks with many delicate, long-lasting blooms on threadlike pedicels give the plant an airy appearance. Blooms are pale yellow with a fine, darker line along the centre of the pointed tepals. Fans of delicate, Iris-like foliage disappear during summer dormancy. Grows well on a warm window ledge out of direct sun. So easy to grow and incredibly adorable. April to June. Well-drained soil. Partial shade. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Lepechinia hastata

Family: (Lamiaceae)

Tender subshrub to 6′. Americas. The specific epithet hastata is descriptive of the large, arrow-shaped, velvety grey-green leaves for which this tender subshrub is grown. Of equal value are the ten-inch long flower spikes adorned with numerous, one-inch long, rosy purple flowers of classic “Lamium-esque” form, sitting upon smoky purple pedicels. A striking specimen for a sunny spot in your home. Blooms on and off throughout the year. Sun. 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Heimia salicifolia

Family: (Lythraceae)

Tender shrub to 10′.  Willow-leaved Heimia, Elixir of the Sun.  South US, C & S America.  This unusual plant has many slender, woody stems that are densely covered in mostly opposite, narrow, linear, green leaves.  Small flowers have six, bright yellow, somewhat wrinkled, roundly obovate petals.  The petals are attached to the rim of the tube-shaped floral cup with 12 stamens inserted low in the cup.  The flowers arise from the leaf axils and bloom in profusion all summer.  This plant is very accommodating – in the spring we plant it in our Flower Garden and Order Beds then dig it up in the fall.  It never skips a beat.  4 & T2