Subtropicals

Madagascar Ocotillo!

If you are familiar with Fouquieria splendens , a.k.a Ocotillo, then you will have a sense of the form of this plant. Though not a relative of our southwest native the form is strikin... More

White, orchid-like flowers! A small, airy, desert shrub that will quickly reach 8' in a few years. Its small butterfly-shaped leaves are attractive, and the pure-white flowers that cover its bare branches seem to dance in the su... More

Butterflies love them! No small flowering shrub attracts more butterflies than the white Mexican orchid tree. It flowers non-stop all summer long. Adaptable to sun or shade, moist or dry soils and is not bothered by heavy a... More

Desert Bird of Paradise This bird-of-paradise is native to Argentina but has naturalized in areas of western and central Texas. The large, showy yellow and red flowers on open racemes are exceptionally striking against the c... More

Red-bird-of-paradise! This highly-ornamental summer flowering herbaceous perennial attracts all the neighbors' attention as well as butterflies and hummingbirds. Produced all summer long, the showy red flowers are held abo... More

Mexican beautyberry! A tropical looking beautyberry which has glossy jet black fruit that is produced in such abundance that the branches appear to be covered with giant blackberries. A robust plant that will take drought... More

Bow-tie palm! Distinctive butterfly-like green leaflets that resemble a bow tie distinguish this species from all other cycads, or for that matter, any other plant! The strong stems that hold these leaves strictly ... More

This Ceratozamia is native to forested, costal areas in the state of Vera Cruz, Mexico. If has a narrowly upright habit with lime-green, leathery leaflets. The emergent leaves are green and show no co... More

Little Leaf Cordia! This desert shrub makes an excellent companion plant for woody lilies and other xeric succulents. The upright, open shrub has a casual, freeform appearance, but the plant's greatest asset is not the ... More

Hardy Orchid! Widely grown in Asia for its fragrant flowers and elegant strap-like foliage. It's a happy camper in our garden, where it blooms twice a season--in early spring, then heavily in mid-summer! Flowers ar... More

Cockspur Coral Tree! In the costal regions of Southern Brazil to Argentina, Erythrina cristi-galli grows into a large shrub as apposed to the inland forms which tend to be more tree-like. The branches of this terrific for... More

Tree coralbean! The southern populations of this coralbean have been subjected to less frost over time leading to a woody, more shrub-like form. This variety grows upright with woody stems from 8' to 10' in mild, fro... More

Coralbean! Native to the sandy soils of southeast Texas and extending into the southeast US is one of our most attractive, under-used herbaceous perennials. Before the foliage emerges, this form produces 4' to 5... More

Everyman's Hymenocallis! This is certainly the most forgiving and beautiful of all the white spider lilies, which explains its widespread cultivation. Since it has been so widely grown it is difficult to determine where it wa... More

White moons! This pure-white form of the bush morning glory is a cool, refreshing accent in the back of a border. Easy and fast-growing, it can be cut back in mid-summer to reduce its mass. It loves heat, and will... More

Burnt-orange flowers! The showiest shrimp-plant that can grow outside--its flower spikes are covered with showy orange bracts holding bright orange-red flowers. This easily cultivated plant is outstanding in a hot, dry sit... More

Coral flowers! Graceful and airy, this mounding spreader loves a long, hot summer and rewards us with a continuous supply of coral-red flowers. Unlike the common firecracker bush (Russelia equisetiformis) with its h... More