(Summer Squash, Yellow Crookneck Summer Squash)

Cultivated for centuries by native populations of North America, summer squash ‘Yellow Crookneck’ remains a popular favorite in the United States. The bumpy, bottle-shaped fruits of this classic heirloom are bent at the neck, and have glossy, golden-yellow skin surrounding firm, delicious, buttery flesh. They are best picked and eaten when very young and tender, and are ready for harvest approximately 65 days from sowing.

Like many summer squash, ‘Yellow Crookneck’ is a member of the New World...

(Summer Squash)

The distinctively patterned, yellow and green fruits of this F1 hybrid squash are also notable for their firm texture and delicious nutty flavor. The slender, club-shaped fruits are mostly yellow, but each has a pale green tip that appears "hand-dipped." This productive variety forms big, bushy, open plants which grow from seed to harvest in about 54 days. The fruits are best when 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long, and will be produced from summer to fall if regularly harvested.

Like most summer...

(Large-fruited Mix Gourd, Ornamental Gourd)

Seed mixtures sold under this name yield a crop of large decorative "gourds" in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Numerous cultivars from several species of Cucurbita (including C. pepo) are typically included.

Most "gourd" seed mixtures contain cultivars of Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, C. maxima, Lagenaria siceraria, and other members of the squash family (the Cucurbitaceae). These warm-season, trailing or...

(Ornamental Gourd, Small Formula Mix Gourd)

Seed mixtures sold under this name yield a crop of small decorative "gourds" in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Numerous cultivars from several species of Cucurbita (including C. pepo) are typically included.

Most "gourd" seed mixtures contain cultivars of Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, C. maxima, Lagenaria siceraria, and other members of the squash family (the Cucurbitaceae). These warm-season, trailing or...

(Cumin)

Mexican and Indian foods are renowned for their flavors of cumin, but surprisingly this annual herb originates from North Africa along the Mediterranean, most specifically Egypt. It is a fast-growing but short-lived plant that completes its life cycle in only three or four months. Cumin may be grown during the frost-free times of year when temperatures are comfortably cool, such as spring or fall. The cumin spice is the dried fruit and the seeds, which are typically ground.

An upright plant...

(Carrotwood Tree)

A widely adaptable evergreen tree, carrotwood produces copious amounts of orange-red fruits and seedlings. A spreading tree native to tropical northern Australia and New Guinea, it has become a noxious, invasive problem in regions such as Hawaii and the Florida peninsula.

The leaves are compound - made up of six to ten leathery, oval, green to yellow-green leaflets. If crushed, they smell like a fresh carrot, as do the branches. In spring, wiry clusters of tiny, white flowers appear and are pollinated...

(Ballistic Cigar Flower, Hybrid Cigar Plant)

Compact and mounding, Firecraker cigar flower is a hybrid tender tropical perennial to shrub with abundant tubular flowers that are pinkish red, purple and white. This hybrid was developed by Terence Keogh in Queensland, Australia by crossing Cuphea ignea with Cuphea lanceolata. In the warmth from late spring until autumn, the colorful tubular blossoms appear in loose clusters along the outer reaches of the stems, attracting hummingbirds.

Full sun to no less than partial sun...

(David Verity Cigar Flower, Hybrid Cigar Plant)

A plethora of orange-red, tubular "cigar-like" flowers with yellow tips clothe ‘David Verity’ through the hottest summer months. Hummingbirds love the bright blooms of this heat and drought tolerant gem and its lush green leaves and red stems provide added beauty and tropical looks. It’s no wonder this tropical subshrub has gained fast popularity as a bedding plant.

Broad and bushy, ‘David Verity’ cigar plant is covered with small, crisp, medium green leaves with lighter midveins. Its numerous...

(Firecracker Cigar Flower, Hybrid Cigar Plant)

The vigorous cigar flower, ‘Firecraker’, has a trailing habit and bears loads of frilly, deep scarlet flowers with purple centers when summer’s at its hottest. In tropical to subtropical zones it will grow as a semi-evergreen subshrub but in colder regions it’s planted as a bedding annual. This hybrid is a cross between Cuphea ilavea and Cuphea purpurea and was hybridized in 1999 by German plant breeder, Michael Helmet Unger.

The reddish stems of ‘Firecracker’ are hairy, glandular...

(Firefly Cigar Flower, Hybrid Cigar Plant)

The fiery flowers of this low semi-evergreen subshrub continue from spring to frost, or year-round in frost-free sites. Perennial in mild climates, it is often used as an annual in areas where it is not winter-hardy.

The upright to lax, nearly knee-high stems of ‘Firefly' are hairy, glandular and sticky to the touch, as are its whorls of medium- to dark-green leaves. Loose clusters of bright cherry-red flowers appear at the stem tips in mild weather. Each bloom has five ruffled, flaring segments...