(Aralia)

An immense herbaceous perennial that forms lusty luxuriant clumps of elegant foliage, this East Asian native is grown not only for ornament but also for its edible young shoots. The large airy pinnate (feather-shaped) leaves are held on tall stems, which in some forms are a striking dark purple. Clouds of small greenish white flowers hover above the foliage in late summer, followed by showy purple berry-like fruit.

Intolerant of drought and hot sun, this gargantuan perennial does best in partial...

(American Spikenard)

American spikenard is a deciduous perennial with green compound leaves with delicate heart-shpaed leaflets. Ball clusters of white to greenish-white flowers on a tall spike in spring or summer. Tiny berries are formed and are dark purple or black. It spreads slowly by aromatic underground roots to create a colony.

Plant in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. American spikenard makes a great addition to woodland gardens or naturalized areas with its bold presence.

(American Angelica Tree, Devil's Walking Stick, Hercules' Club)

This fierce plant is well named. Devil's walking stick is a suckering deciduous shrub to small tree with large, bold leaves that appear above nearly branchless stems covered with vicious thorny spines. In summer it produces striking plumes of creamy white flowers followed by showy clusters of black fruits on reddish stems.

This plant prefers full to part sun and is tolerant of a wide range of well drained soil types. Though it is a unwieldy to prune, it does make a bold statement in mixed borders...

(House Pine, Monkey Puzzle Tree)

Sparse, architecturally interesting branches laced with sharp, triangular needles makes monkey puzzle tree one of the more odd but entertaining trees for mild temperate zone landscapes. A tall evergreen tree native to the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina, it has dark grayish brown bark and produces cones. It is pleasingly pyramid-shaped when young, looking like an artificial Christmas tree without the wiry needles yet extended. With time, its shape become tall with a rounded upper...

(Bunya Bunya Pine)

With shiny, prickly foliage concentrated in tufts at the ends of branches, bunya-bunya pine is known for its spiny, heavy cones that drop like bombs to the ground below. Only found naturally in the coastal and inland rainforests of Queensland, Australia, it is a tall evergreen tree that attains a triangular dome canopy at maturity. When youthful, the tree has a pyramid-like habit with a tall central leading tip. The leaves are dark green, brighter when new, and waxy, stiff and notably sharp at their...

(Cook Pine, New Caledonia Pine)

The Cook pine is a cone-bearing evergreen tree native to New Caledonia, just east of Australia. It is a large, tall, upright, elegant tree with whorled branches and dark green, needle-type foliage. The little scale-like needles are prickly and linear, densely arranged in flexible, caterpillar-like fingers upon the lateral branches. At the tree's tip, the newest branch growth is a rounded tuft, and the older branches often are dropped and rejuvenated with shorter ones, creating a more obvious columnar...

(Norfolk Island Pine)

The Norfolk Island pine is a cone-bearing evergreen tree native to Norfolk Island, just east of Australia. It is a large, tall, upright, elegant tree with whorled branches and dark green, fan-like, needle-type foliage. The short, little needles are leathery and linear, densely arranged in flexible, caterpillar-like fingers upon the lateral branches. At the tree's tip, the newest branch growth resembles a graphic, five or six-pointed star with V-form foliage. It produces cones that are either fully...

(Marina Strawberry Tree, Strawberry Tree)

The parents of this small ornamental tree come from Mediterranean regions where winters are mild and rainy and summers long, hot and dry. ‘Marina’, which is a cross between Arbutus unedo and A. andrachne, has exceptional tolerance to summer drought making it the perfect evergreen for arid western gardens.

This ericaceous tree is noted for its beautiful cinnamon-colored bark that sheds periodically helping it maintain good color. The branches bear large, dark green, serrated...

(Cyprian Strawberry Tree, Eastern Strawberry Tree, Greek Strawberry Tree)

This large shrub or small tree is grown for its colorful bark, handsome evergreen foliage, white spring flowers, and orange-red fruits. Mature specimens have picturesque, gnarled branches and a vase-shaped to rounded habit. Arubutus andrachne is native to rocky slopes and outcroppings from southeastern Europe to northern Iraq.

The lustrous, leathery, oval leaves of Greek strawberry tree are dark green with pale green undersides. They are borne on sinuous, upright to spreading branches...

(Arizona Madrone)

A picturesque tree, the Arizona madrone develops a rounded crown of leathery foliage atop a twisting frame of branches. Clusters of tiny white flowers are followed by edible reddish fruits. This evergreen is native to the forested foothills and lower mountains of southern Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.

The satiny oval leaves are long, narrow and persist on the tree for about one year before being shed. Each leaf is medium to deep green with a paler green underside. Leaf edges may...