(Bougainvillea, Paperflower, Southern Rose Bougainvillea)

Southern Rose hybrid bougainvillea is a vigorous, woody, evergreen climber with short thorns and large, green leaves. Its abundant, colorful clusters lavender-rose to pleasing pink bracts surrounding small cream-colored flowers from summer to late autumn. Hybrid bougainvillea is typically a large plant with an open habit that requires pruning and repeated management.

Plant in full sun and fertile, well-drained garden soil. Bougainvillea makes a colorful accent on walls or pergolas and may be...

(Bougainvillea, Thai Delight Bougainvillea)

Thai Delight bougainvillea is a vigorous, woody, evergreen climber with thorns and green leaves and is grown primarily for its abundant, colorful clusters of pink and white bracts, modified, colorful leaves resembling flowers, from summer to autumn. Bougainvillea is a winter bloomer in subtropical and tropical climates.

Bougainvillea is typically a large plant with an open habit that requires pruning. Plant in full sun and fertile, well-drained garden soil. A period of dry conditions encourages...

(Bougainvillea, Paperflower, White Madonna Bougainvillea)

White Madonna bougainvillea is a vigorous, woody, evergreen climber with thorns and green leaves and is grown for abundant clusters of pure white bracts from summer to autumn. Bougainvillea is typically a large plant with an open habit that requires pruning.

Plant in full sun and fertile, well-drained garden soil. Hybrid bougainvillea makes a colorful accent on walls or pergolas and may be planted as an annual in hanging baskets or other containers.

(Sideoats Grama Grass)

Sideoats grama grass is a versatile, clumping, warm season ornamental grass with pretty red flowers on decorative stems from summer to fall. This perennial is native to much of the New World, from Canada southward all the way to Argentina in South America. In spring the gray-green leaves remain compact, making a nice filler among the spring and summer blooming prairie wildflowers. By midsummer, this grass sends up slightly taller stems that have purple-turning-green oat-shaped flowerbuds that will...

(Grama Grass)

The dense turf grass, buffalograss, is a warm season perennial native to the Central Plains of the North America, from Manitoba, Canada down to Mexico. It is very drought tolerant and was one of the most important food sources for the great herds of bison that once roamed the plains.

This is one of the best native grasses for turf and lawns. It has curly, thin, gray-green blades and spreads by both stolons (above ground lateral stems) and rhizomes (below ground lateral stems). Its grassy late-season...

(Blue Grama Grass, Mosquito Grass)

Blue grama grass is a perennial warm season grass grown for its fine, gray-green leaves and one-sided decorative flowers. A compact grower, it is native to the arid western United States and Mexico where soils are dry and alkaline.

Fine, narrow, gray-green leaves emerge in spring. In summer slender stems rise above the foliage lined with one-sided flower buds that resemble mosquito larvae. The tiny flowers are reddish purple when they open and quite decorative lining the stem tips. In autumn the...

(Blonde Ambition Blue Grama Grass, Blue Grama Grass)

An exceptionally showy, heavy-flowering selection of blue grama grass, 'Blond Ambition' is a perennial warm-season grass grown for its one-sided, horizontal decorative flowers and blond, light yellow-tan seed heads. An upright, clumping plant larger than the wild grass species, it is native to the arid western United States and Mexico where soils are dry and alkaline. Cultivar 'Blonde Ambition' was discovered and introduced by David Salman of High Country Gardens in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Fine,...

(Australian Flame Tree, Flame Bottle Tree, Illawarra Flame Tree)

Australian flame tree has maple-like foliage that drops in time to reveal naked branches lined with thousands of red flowers in late spring and summer. An upright but rounded semi-evergreen to fully deciduous tropical tree, it eventually forms a plump green trunk when mature. The bark becomes ghostly light gray with age. This showy tree is native to the forests of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.

Following the dry winter, the bare gray-green branches bear thousands of small flowers...

(Bush Kurrajong, Pink Flame Tree, Queensland Lacebark)

A stately silhouette of spreading branches atop a bottle-shaped trunk makes the Queensland lacebark attractive even when the rose-colored flowers are absent. Native to the dry forests and coastal scrub of northeastern Australia, the tree has smooth green bark and a pyramidal shape when young. With age, the bark becomes cracked and gray, and the tree's canopy a bit more muscular and spreading. Tap the trunk and it sounds hollow, although packed with fibers.

The tree tends to drop leaves during...

(Brachyscome, Surdaisy™ Mauve Brachyscome, Swan River Daisy)

A tender perennial most often grown as an annual that's killed by subfreezing temperatures, the Surdaisy™ Mauve Swan River daisy produces pale blue-lavender flowers. This cultivar -- 'Bonbrabu' -- resulted from controlled cross-pollination efforts in 2004 by Andrew Bernuetz of Bonza Botanicals in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia.

The bright emerald green leaves are narrow and deeply lobed, create a soft-looking frilly mass. The delicate leaves make an attractive foil to the yellow-eyed...