(Grevillea, Noell Grevillea, Spider Flower)

Drought resistance, beautiful flowers, and handsome evergreen foliage combine in this small, dense, mounding shrub. It is derived from Australian species (including Grevillea rosmarinifolia) that thrive in well-drained, slightly acidic soils.

The prickly, awl-shaped, glossy green leaves of 'Noell' are densely borne on arching stems. Spidery clusters of pink and cream flowers appear along the stems in spring. Nectar-seeking insects and birds visit and pollinate the blooms. Individual...

(Silkoak Tree)

Silkoak tree is native to the subtropical rainforest regions of eastern Australia. It produces airy, green, fern-like leaves with silvery undersides and masses of golden flowers that smother the tree in mid- to late spring. The tree partially defoliates as the curled flowers open up in obvious, showy clusters. Because of its beauty, the wood of this tree is harvested and used in the furniture-making industry.

In the right conditions silkoak tree is a fast grower and excels in full sun and average,...

(Rosemary-leaved Grevillea)

Delicate flowers and foliage add feminine beauty to this otherwise big, burly shrub for dry, warm climates. Native to New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, rosemary-leaved grevillea thrives in well-drained, slightly acid soils. It has a large stature, upright habit and bears needle-like leaves, much like those of the herb, rosemary. The rich green foliage may become more yellow-green in extreme drought.

This is a winter bloomer, flowering off and on from fall through spring. Blossoms are...

(Climbing Raisinbush, Yellow Starflower)

Rarely grown as an ornamental but certainly worthwhile, climbing raisinbush's pretty yellow star-like flowers in summer and autumn are followed by tasty small fruits that are amber to reddish tan. A robust climbing, multi-stemmed large shrub, it is native to northeastern South Africa and southern Mozambique. The broadleaf evergreen usually is found growing near rivers and streams.

Oldest stems often become four-sided, the plant overall attaining a thicket-like, spreading tangle of weeping to...

(African Starbush, Lavender Starflower)

Lavender starflower is a stately broadleaf evergreen with an irregularly tiered, upright habit that displays starry mauve or lavender flowers spring through fall. It is a native of southern Africa with a tolerance for wind, seasonally dry and wet soils, and salt. The alluring flowers arise in between the leaves. Occasionally orange fruits develop that will ripen to purple. Nectar-seeking insects and birds will frequent this shrub while in flower.

Lavender starflower grows well in full sun to...

(Common Lignum Vitae, Palo Santo)

Loved for its purple to blue-violet flowers that yield bright red fruits, lignum vitae is heat, drought and salt tolerant, making it stupendous as a specimen in the coastal tropics. A rounded evergreen tree from the northern coastline of South America and the Caribbean islands, it is extremely slow growing and has a crooked, knotty form that adds to its beauty. The wood is very dense and does not float.

The green to yellow-green glossy leaves are leathery and held on yellowish leaf stems (petioles)....

(Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae)

Loved for its rich violet-blue flowers that yield bright red fruits, lignum vitae is heat, drought and salt tolerant, making it stupendous as a specimen in the coastal tropics. A rounded evergreen tree from Central America, the West Indies and the Keys of Florida, it is extremely slow growing and has a airy, crooked, knotty form that adds to its beauty. The wood is very dense and does not float, but less so than the common lignum vitae (Guaiacum officinale).

The green glossy leaves are...

(Orange Cattleya, Orange Guarianthe Orchid)

em>Guarianthe aurantiaca (fomerly known as Cattleya aurantiaca) is an epiphytic orchid grown for its spring display of showy orange blooms. It is native to humid upland forests from Mexico to El Salvador, naturally occurring on tree limbs and rock outcroppings.

This evergreen perennial spreads by creeping rhizomes to form colonies of cylindrical to spindle-shaped, cane-like pseudobulbs, each topped by two stiff, leathery, oval leaves. Dense clusters of red-orange to yellow...

(Class Guzmania, Guzmania, Torch Bromeliad)

The brightly colored bromeliad, ‘Class’, is distinguished by its compact habit, spineless, glossy leaves and long-lasting crimson floral stem. A tender tropical perennial favored for container culture, this shade-loving hybrid was developed from Guzmania epiphytes (tree dwellers) native to the Tropical Americas.

The wide, strap-shaped leaves of ‘Class’ are glossy, thin and flexible. They are arranged in a rosette that forms a reservoir, or vase, in which rainfall and leaf litter can...

(Denise Guzmania, Guzmania, Torch Bromeliad)

Spineless glossy leaves punctuated with a long-lasting red floral stem, 'Denise' is a showy shade-loving bromeliad. A tender tropical perennial epiphyte (grows upon another plant for support), this cultivar resulted by crossing Guzmania lingulata with Guzmania squarrosa, both native to Tropical America.

The leaves are wide straps with a glossy sheen and are thin and flexible. They are arranged in a rosette that forms a reservoir, or vase, in which rainfall and leaf litter can...