(Dwarf Lilyturf, Dwarf Mondo Grass, Japanese Lilyturf)

Dwarf lilyturf is an evergreen, creeping, grass-like perennial native to Japan. The cultivar 'Nanus' is particularly dwarf. In summer, short spikes of small, tubular, often lilac-tinged white flowers appear amid the leaves. Dark blue berries follow.

Dwarf lilyturf does best in moist, humusy soil and full to partial sun. Plant it along a walkway or as a bed edge or ground cover, or use it to dress up a container planting.

This is a mid-sized cultivar of these clumping grass-like evergreen perennials native to Japan. The leaves of ‘Sparkler’ are strap-shaped, leathery, upright or arching, and emerge bright green, maturing to dark green with a faint shadow of black. The small white bell-shaped flowers appear in loose clusters at the end of short upright or arching stalks in summer, followed by pea-sized blue-black berries.

Like other lilyturf, ‘Sparkler’ grows best in full sun with midday shade, or in partial shade,...

(Dwarf Lilyturf)

This is a variegated cultivar of a clumping grass-like evergreen perennial native to Japan. The leaves of ‘Variegatus’ are strap-shaped, leathery, upright or arching, and elegantly striped along their length by narrow white edges and green centers. The small white bell-shaped flowers appear in loose clusters at the end of short upright or arching stalks in summer, followed by small blue-black berries.

Like other lilyturf, ‘Variegatus’ grows best in full sun with midday shade, or in partial shade,...

(Lilyturf, Mondo Grass)

This grass-like Japanese native is actually an evergreen member of the lily family. It spreads gradually by stout rhizomes to form tufts of strap-shaped dark green leaves. Spikes of small, white, lavender-tinged, bell-shaped flowers appear in summer, followed by deep blue to black berry-like fruits. In the wild, it exists along wooded and open slopes where soil is moist but well-drained. The best known cultivated mondo grass is 'Nigrescens', which has purple-black leaves and flower stems.

The...

(Black Lilyturf, Black Mondo Grass)

Distinguished by its striking deep purple-black leaves and flower stems and deep lavender flowers, 'Nigrescens' is a grassy, evergreen member of the lily family. It spreads gradually by stout rhizomes to form tufts of strap-shaped leaves. Its spikes of small bell-shaped flowers appear in summer, followed by deep blue to black berry-like fruits.

The dense, slender, strap-like foliage of mondo grass is fully evergreen, though it may become somewhat ragged looking by late winter. Plants are low-growing...

(Ecuadorian Pricklypear)

Remarkably hardy considering it hails from Ecuador, this medium-sized pricklypear is likely a hybrid of Opuntia pubescens and O. soederstromiana. Its spreading or arching branches are composed of succulent oval pads bristling with clusters of formidable gray spines. Although they appear to be leaves (and are treated as such below), the pads are in fact swollen stem segments. The tops and sides of the pads produce yellow or orange bowl-shaped flowers that open from red buds in spring. Plump russet-red...

(Tuna Blanca)

This little known and rarely grown prickly pear grows into a head-high plant with a tree-like branching structure. South American in origin, it is native to Cercado province, Cochabamba, Bolivia. Several short stout gray "trunks" give rise to upright or spreading branches composed of large succulent pads. Although resembling leaves (and treated as such in the following list of characteristics), the pads are actually swollen stem segments. The blue-green, diamond shaped or oblong segments are dotted...

(Pricklypear)

This genus is the most widely recognized in the Cactaceae due to the distinctive paddle shape of its stems. There are many species, subspecies and natural varieties of Opuntia. References differ greatly in the number of species, because the taxonomists that study them tend to be in disagreement, but the numbers range from 150 to 200. Many naturally hybridize in the wild, which makes the Opuntia hybridizer's job easy. Natural distribution stretches from the sunny sites of...

(Paper Spine Cactus, Spruce Cone Cactus)

This curious Argentine cactus has fragile erect stems composed of cone-shaped segments. The stems resemble a string of beads. Prominent tubercules and clusters of silvery spines are spirally arranged along the segments. Some forms lack spines. The stems fragment readily if jostled or bumped. A shy bloomer, this cactus sometimes produces white to pinkish, cup-shaped flowers in spring or early summer. The fruits that follow are barrel shaped, dry-fleshed, and very thin walled.

This plant prospers...

(Santa Fe Giant Pricklypear)

A fascinating Galapagos Islands endemic that varies markedly from island to island, this pricklypear cactus ranges in size from a low shrub to a thick-trunked, two-story-tall "tree." Stems composed of large rounded yellow green to blue green pads are borne either in shrubby clumps or along tree-like branches. The stems of tree-like forms are often pendent, lending a weeping character, and their trunks typically have striking mahogany-red "bark." Stem segments are dotted with geometrically arranged...