(Emu Bush, Slender Fuchsia)

With wispy, upright branches, sticky green leaves and vibrant scarlet-red tubular flowers in winter, slender fuchsia is a showy desert plant. This short, evergreen shrub is native to the inhospitable Nullarbor Plain ("treeless plain") of Western and South Australia. It tolerates intense heat, drought, wind and light freezes.

The slender, short, lance-shaped leaves are medium green with hints of gray. The stems and leaves are sticky to the touch. Most heavily blooming in late fall and winter,...

(Cupid Emu Bush, Emu Bush)

With wispy, upright branches, sticky blue-green leaves and vibrant magenta-rose tubular flowers in winter, Cupid slender fuchsia is a showy desert plant. This evergreen shrub is native to the inhospitable Nullarbor Plain ("treeless plain") of Western and South Australia. It tolerates intense heat, drought, wind and light freezes.

The slender, short, lance-shaped leaves are medium green with hints of blue and gray. The stems and leaves are sticky to the touch. Most heavily blooming in late fall...

(Common Emu Bush)

Surprisingly, hummingbirds, which are strictly New World species, love the tubular red, yellow or green flowers of this tough evergreen Australian shrub. The common emu bush is tolerant of heat, drought, strong wind and nutrient poor soils. In fact, its generic name Eremophila literally means "desert loving." Height and width is highly variable in this species. Some plants are low-growing while others reach substantial heights.

The upright branches of emu bush are lined with small, elliptical...

(Spotted Emu Bush)

An evergreen shrub native to the mainland of Australia, spotted emu bush is tolerant of heat, drought, light freezes and tropical humidity. In fact, its generic name Eremophila literally means "desert loving." This species is best known for its narrow, gray-green leaves, and tubular flowers of red, yellow, orange or pink, with white spotted throats. Height and habit are as variable as flower color, so it pays to choose a cultivar with a known characteristics.

When the new leaves first...

(Yellow Emu Bush, Yellow Spotted Emu Bush)

An evergreen shrub native to the mainland of Australia, spotted emu bush is tolerant of heat, drought, light freezes and tropical humidity. In fact, its generic name Eremophila literally means "desert loving." This species is best known for its narrow, gray-green leaves, and tubular flowers of red, yellow, orange or pink, with white spotted throats. Height and habit are as variable as flower color, so it pays to choose a cultivar with a known characteristics.

When the new leaves first...

(Eria, Orchid)

Eria merrillii is an epiphytic (tree-dwelling) orchid grown for its attractive leaves and its many-flowered clusters of small white blooms. Also known as Eria ovata and Pinalia ovata, it is native to warm humid lowland forests from the Ryuku Islands to Borneo and New Guinea.

This evergreen perennial forms clumps of erect, fleshy, cane-like pseudobulbs, each topped by four to five leathery, lance-shaped leaves. Long clusters of whitish, somewhat unpleasantly scented...

(Water Heath)

Long, curving tubular flowers in yellow, orange and salmon adorn the wispy branches of water heath. From the Cape Provinces of South Africa, this upright evergreen shrub is frost tender. The flowers typically peak in winter and spring, but will open at any time of the year.

Water heath must be planted in a moist acidic soil in full sunlight. Excellent air circulation is particularly important in the winter months. These plants can be grown in a cool greenhouse, or outdoors in warm temperate locations...

(Cape Heath)

The cape heath is a tall growing evergreen shrub that bears multi-colored tubular flowers. Floral tubes are mainly red and tinged with green or yellow. From the western cape of South Africa, this fall and winter flowering plant has small pine needle-like leaves that are bright green.

Cape heath should be given a moist acidic soil in a sunny location. A sandy soil amended with organic matter is perfect. As it is an erect shrub, it should be use in the rear of a mixed border, or possibly as a hedge...

(Aguirre, Goldenweed, Turpentine Bush)

The bright blooms of this small, drought resistant evergreen shrub from southwestern North America help visually carry desert gardens through fall. Its upright, branching, waist-high stems are furnished with verdant, needle-like foliage. The leaves contain a turpentine-scented resin that discourages herbivores. The lower branches of this dense mounding shrub may become barren with age. Brilliant yellow daisy flowers envelop the plant in fall, providing valuable nectar for bees and butterflies. Flowers...

(Annual Fleabane)

A common weedy wildflower across much of the United States, annual fleabane derives its common name from the old belief that its dried daisy flowers repelled fleas. This tall, leggy annual is native across much of North America save the coldest Canadian provinces and Alaska. It is a common pioneer species found in open, disturbed sites as well as old fields, meadows and roadsides.

In spring, this clump-forming annual develops very tall, upright, leafy stems lined with short, lance-shaped, green...