The Garden.org Plants Database

I've had this semi-evergreen for several years and it is moderately happy for me in my front garden. It gets afternoon sun and is in very well-drained soil because a nearby pine tree has roots everywhere. The last two winters have been mild which has been very good for this plant. However, in years with late, hard frosts the foliage is often damaged and blooming can be greatly reduced. I believe it would perform much better in a warmer climate but overall it has done pretty well for a non-dormant daylily in my garden.

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I think this is the one I have that is an early and long season bloomer. Love it, need to divide and spread it around a bit. Actually I think it is earliest and latest to bloom, if this is what I have.

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Phyllanthus urinaria is a low growing plant, reaching heights of about 14 inches. It grows in both sun and shade and has small, alternate leaves which are larger at the tip and smaller towards the bottom. Chamber Bitter leaves resemble those of Mimosa, opening during the day and closing at night. The tiny flowers are borne in the leaf axils and are greenish-yellow to white in color. The also tiny, round fruits are green to red in color and are borne along the reverse side of the stems. This plant is prolific in producing seed, which germinate from summer to fall and the seed can remain dormant for extended periods. Phyllanthus urinaria is adaptable to a wide range of ecological habitats; it is considered a noxious weed and is listed as invasive in some areas.

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At this moment I have about 6 pigeon Pea shrubs. They are growing very slowly. In my area I am supposed to start them in December but I am doing an experiment to find out if they can get to maturity before cold weather arrives.

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Quit Fussing is a very reliable bloomer for me despite being a semi-evergreen. It is planted on a hill so it has sharp drainage which I'm sure helps. The flowers open early in the morning but typically don't recurve fully until later. My blooms tend to be more pale yellow but I found this year that a well-timed application of fertilizer has finally yielded lemon yellow blooms. Either way, the flowers brighten my yard when little else is blooming. It is planted in an area that doesn't get a ton of sun and it still blooms well for me. I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for an early blooming daylily.

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This Common or Persian or English Walnut is native from southeast Europe into China. It is the walnut responsible for large quantities of nuts for the market. Most are grown in the USA in California, including Zone 10 in the West, not in the East. I remember one, what we called the English Walnut, in the west suburbs of Chicago, IL that was full-grown in the backyard of a large, old house not far from where I lived. It must have been the more cold hardy variety called the Carpathian, from eastern Europe, there in Zone 5a. I've seen two trees at an old estate that is now a public park in central Chester County, PA doing well. The compound leaves of this species are 8 to 16 inches long, usually with 7 to 9 leaflets, 5 to 13 possible. The leaflets have toothless margins and are sort of rounded unlike American walnut species or hickories. The terminal leaflet is the largest. The round nuts are 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter and are surrounded by a thin, green husk. The tree tends to be rounded in habit and gets to about 70 feet high with a 3 feet diameter trunk. It is only infrequently found planted in the Midwest and Eastern US.

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The Japanese Walnut was brought to the USA in the 19th century as another nut tree. Unfortunately, a leaf and canker fungus came with it that was damaging to the similar American Butternut. The American species has since declined, but there are some around that often show some leaf damage and some not so much. A number of cultivars have been developed from the Japanese species. Furthermore, there are a number of hybrids between the Japanese x American species and cultivars taken from them. The Japanese species has slightly larger leaves to 35 inches long with usually 17 leaflets, with each leaflet to 7 inches long by 3 inches wide. Leaves are usually very soft hairy. The Japanese nuts are sort of heart-shaped.

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This plant, formerly known as Manfreda scabra, is not to be confused with Rough Agave (Agave asperrima), formerly known as Agave scabra. Various online sources (including Wikipedia) have them mixed up. When Manfreda was recently lumped with Agave, this species took the name formerly used for another plant. They look very different. Agave asperrima (monocarpic) is a large, spiny, glaucous blue-gray or green plant from the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico. Agave scabra (polycarpic) is a small, unarmed, green plant (sometimes with purple spots) from central and southern Mexico. They are both named for the rough texture of the leaves.

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Small glaucous green or bluish gray agave from Guadalajara, Jalisco. Very attractive, compact plant with closely spaced leaves. Uncommon in cultivation. Usually solitary. Spines are longer and mammillate margins more pronounced on the upper third of each leaf. Young spines may be orange to reddish brown in color. Habitat experiences a dry season from January to May and most of its ample (38 inches/year) rainfall from June through September. This plant was formerly distributed as A. megalacantha and is a relative of parrasana (Coahuila) and parryi (northeastern Mexico into AZ and NM), with a branched inflorescence.

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This small to medium, monstrose, variegated agave is presumed to be related to the common Variegated Century Plant (Agave americana 'Marginata'), though it may not be an americana at all. "Cornelius" also goes by "Quasimoto" and various other names. Final size is in the range of 2-4 feet. The distinctive feature of this plant is the undulating margins on the leaves, which give older plants a ragged, gnarly appearance. Propagated by offsets, which emerge from rhizomes relatively close to the mother plant. "Quasimoto Streaker", a sport of this plant, has white margins instead of yellow ones.

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