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Used as an annual for a border, house plant, essential oil for food and perfume and for potpourris. Attracts birds, bees and butterflies.

Perennial in warm climates

Can be trouble by whiteflies (especially if grown indoors) and botrytis (caused by overwatering).

Deadhead flowers for continued bloom. Pinch stem below node to encourage bushy habit.

Cuttings should be taken in August for indoor potting and propagation. Cut back frequently during the winter months to prevent from becoming 'leggy'.

The leaves are crushed and used to flavour salads, soups, fruit dishes, jellies, sorbets, ice-cream, cakes etc.
Also used as a tea.
An essential oil is extracted from the leaves to use in aromatherapy, perfumes and insect repellent, pot-pourri and herb pillows.

A member of the solanaceae family. The leaves contain toxins, but the ripe fruit is eatable for humans.
Cautions should be used with ingestion of leaves or unripe fruit, though there are not records of toxicity.
Ripe fruit are edible and where used by Native Americans.

Range: South-eastern North America, South Carolina to Florida and Texas.

Rated as a plant that could be grown as a standard crop.

The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.


The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It cannot grow in the shade.It requires moist soil.The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Very interesting plant, with many commercial uses.
Vegetable oil, coloring and flavoring of food, dye for silk and wool and in medicine.

Good replacement for expensive saffron (Crocus sativus).

Two types of vegetable oil are produced from this plant:
Oleic acid, high in monounsaturated fatty acid.
Linoleic acid, high in polyunsaturated fatty acid.
The one used most for food consumption is the oleic acid form, which is lower in saturates than olive oil.
Linoleic acid is used in painting, instead of linseed oil.

Another interesting fact is that the seeds are used in many bird seed mixes in place of sunflowers, as squirrels don't seem to like the taste of the safflower seeds.

Early blooming backcross of N. cyclamineus × N. 'Cyclataz' (N. cyclamineus × N. tazetta 'Grand Soleil d'Or').

This Narcissus is a good choice for pot forcing.
It multiplies freely so should be divided every 5 to 10 years to prevent overcrowding of the bulbs.

Jan. 2013. I dug up some of the bulbs to send home with a friend. The bulbs have grown to a very large size and have already produced many offset bulbs, after only one year of planting.

One of the most beautiful features of this perennial is its fall color. When sited properly, the foliage turns beautiful shades of pink, red, yellow, and orange. Often, the plant is still flowering when its fall coloring begins to appear. Full sun causes the edges of the leaves to be tinted red.

It has a mounding spreading habit and is a relatively slow grower. Great for rock gardens, containers, rock walls, front of flower beds. Will allow bulbs to grow up through it in the spring.

The fig can be grown in a wide range of soils: light sand, rich loam, heavy clay, or limestone, provided that there is sufficient depth and good drainage. Highly acid soils are unsuitable.
Mine are growing in heavy clay with a good mulch cover, against a south-facing wall of our shed.

Fig trees have been raised from seed, even seed extracted from commercial dried fruits.

Fig trees usually bear 2 crops a year. The early-season breba crop appears in late spring on last year's branches and is a usually a smaller crop. The main crop, with a larger amount of fruit, is produced in the late summer or fall on new growth.

The flowers are all female and need no pollination.

The skin of the fig is thin and tender, the flesh is whitish, blending to a light pinkish/reddish color, and very sweet and juicy. Heavy rains during ripening time can cause the skins to split.

Netting is needed once the birds know you have ripening figs.

The sap contains copious amounts of milky latex that is irritating to human skin. Unripe fruit also contains small amounts of latex that disappear when the fruit is ripe.

In dry western climates, water mature trees deeply at least every one or two weeks. Desert gardeners may have to water more frequently. Mulch the soil around the trees to conserve moisture. Leaves will turn yellow and start dropping if the tree doesn't receive enough water. Recently planted trees are particularly susceptible to water deficits, so keep them on a regular watering schedule until they have established a good root system.

There are reports of this tree making it in zone 6 if it is grown along a south-facing wall and is provided with a thick layer of mulch.

Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' is a male variety of Skimmia and will not produce berries. You will need to plant a female Skimmia (there are many to choose from) in order to get berries.

'Rubella' has been given an Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which is for plants of outstanding excellence.

The spring time blooms are fragrant and quite beautiful.

Named after Gus Bolwijn when he discovered it among his a batch of Euonymus 'Sunspot' liners he had growing.
A very hardy Euonymus that is sunburn resistant. It looks good year around and stays nicely mounded without sprawling, like many Euonymus do.

Blondy is tolerant of most soils, but does not like standing water. Does well with pruning that can be done anytime of the year, but fall is best.

Occasionally a solid green branch will appear. Just prune it out.

Dwarf false cypress with new growth having a very silver color.
Protect it from after noon sun in hot climates.
This Chamaecyparis handles pruning well to keep it to the size you want it.

Named by hybridizer Olga Petryszyn for her brother on his birthday

A large sized hosta with a moderate growth rate.
In spring, the margin may have a waxy coating making it appear more blue, and the center may be more chartreuse.

Mutation of Hosta 'Blue Cadet' that makes a tight 1' wide mound of small, round, blue-green leaves on a perfectly symmetrical clump.

Hosta of the Year 2008

Emile & Jane Deckert registered the hosta in 2002. The name came to Emile when he noticed the shape of the unfurling new leaves in the spring! Sold at auction at the AHS Convention; 2001, Raleigh, N.Carolina for $250.00.

A sport of H. sieboldiana 'Elegans'. Discovered in Great Britain by two lab technicians named Barbara and Ann
White to pale lavender blooms.
Needs consistent water.

This hosta will tolerate full sun, which will intensify the gold color of the leaves, but you need to keep it watered.

Growth rate: Medium

Introduced by Walden West in 1989, this cultivar is the brainchild of plantsman Chuck Purtymun. A cross of H. 'Tokudama' x H. sieboldiana, it is the recipient of numerous awards,
Growth habit: Medium

Rosette forming plant that is solitary in natural habitat, but can often branch forming dense mats in cultivation. The rosette will usually bloom and die the second year. If this plant is in the proper growing environment it will self sow, increasing your plants.

Leedy's roseroot is a cliffside wildflower, found today in only six locations in two widely separated states. Four populations of several thousand plants each are found in Fillmore and Olmsted Counties, Minnesota. The other two are in upstate New York, a large population on the shores of Seneca Lake and a single plant at Watkins Glen. Leedy's roseroot has a more elongate, leafy stem. The closely-packed leaves arise directly from the main stem and are smooth, with irregularly toothed to toothless edges. Although they are succulent, they can appear quite limp in dry weather. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. The small 4- to 5-petaled flowers are arranged in dense heads at the end of the leafy stem. They vary in color from dark red to occasional yellow or oranges. from US Fish & Wildlife Service

One of the lowest growing Mexican Sedum varieties. Very dense grower has tiny leaves with little white hairs on the edges. Summer flowers of bright yellow. Keep relatively dry and water from below when feasible.

Forms clusters of stems to 4" in height with very chubby green leaves that has a "cracked" epidermis. Hernandezii is one of the "Jellybean" sedums, named for their plump and colorful jellybean shaped leaves. A very low grower, this sedum does well as a potted specimen, great for dish gardens, windowsills, wreaths or small area ground cover, and works well in a rock garden landscape. They like to be moderately moist but never overly wet. Water thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch. Sedums like good air circulation, and little or no fertilizer is required. Outdoors provide partial sun to light shade, but they will be unhappy and lose their characteristic color and shape unless given lots of bright light when kept indoors. It has excellent drought and cold tolerance but protect from frost to prevent scarring.

Plants of Sedum griseum are subshrubs with erect or sometimes procumbent (laying along the ground), much-branched stems having gray-brown bark; twigs are pale green or gray-brown.

This sedum can handle temps into the low 20 if kept on the dry side. If you live in an area with winter rains you can place it on a covered porch, or under the eves of the house.
It is a combination of being wet and cold that will kill it.

This also makes a nice specimen plant in place of a tree in a miniature garden if kept pruned to the desired size.