(Calico Cactus, Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus, Hedgehog Cactus)

Cloaked in ferocious spines, this low spreading cactus is so adaptable it can be grown just about anywhere in the American southwest and even some states further north. This beautiful mounding cactus is from the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, with populations occurring from sea level up to very alpine locations. It varies widely across its native range, resulting in the naming of several subspecies and varieties.

Engelman’s cactus is composed of many cylindrical stems...

(Hardy Hedgehog Cactus, Lace Hedgehog Cactus, Reichenbach's Hedgehog Cactus)

Fabulous flowers and a short, tidy habit make this a highly rewarding cactus for containers and rockeries. Rare in the wild, it occurs in dry, rocky scrub and grasslands from southeastern Colorado to northern Mexico. It is noted and named for its interlacing, starry clusters of stem-hugging, flattened spines.

The small, upright, football shaped stems of lace hedgehog cactus are initially single. Over time they produce pups and create clumps. Mature stems produce lots of striking pink, lavender-pink...

(Blue Echinops, Smaller Globe Thistle)

Prickly, thistle-like foliages is a deep green with silvery undersides is one pretty aspect of the blue echinops, but the showstopper is the rounded blue flower clusters in late summer. A upright, clump-forming perennial, it hails from southeastern Europe eastward into central Asia.

The dark green leaves are coarsely lobed, looking like leaves of a thistle or pointy-leaf oak. There are white fibers on the leaf edges at times and the undersides are a downy white-gray. In late summer stems are...

(Smaller Globe Thistle)

Prickly, thistle-like foliages is a deep green with silvery undersides is one pretty aspect of the Veitch's Blue small globe thistle, but the showstopper is the rounded deep blue flower clusters in late summer. A upright, clump-forming perennial, it hails from southeastern Europe eastward into central Asia.

The dark green leaves are coarsely lobed, looking like leaves of a thistle or pointy-leaf oak. There are white fibers on the leaf edges at times and the undersides are a downy white-gray....

(Pride of Madeira)

With tall flower spikes of cool blue and lavender, pride of Madeira is a magnificent, easy to grow subshrub that shines in spring and summer. This tender, bushy evergreen is native to Madeira but has escaped from gardens and populated many subtropical countries where it is often considered invasive.

Its upright stems have whorls of slender, gray-green leaves covered with soft white hairs and distinguished by light midribs. In spring and summer each stem produces a tall flower spike with hundreds...

(Select Blue Pride of Madeira)

With tall flower spikes of cool blue and lavender, pride of Madeira is a magnificent, easy to grow subshrub that shines in spring and summer. This tender, bushy evergreen is native to Madeira but has escaped from gardens and populated many subtropical countries where it is often considered invasive.

Its upright stems have whorls of slender, gray-green leaves covered with soft white hairs and distinguished by light midribs. In spring and summer each stem produces a tall flower spike with hundreds...

(Giant Viper's Bugloss, Pine Echium, Tree Echium)

Small, unassuming rosettes of linear, dusty green foliage develop floral columns lined with small violet-blue flowers that burst upward to heights of 8- to 10-feet (2.5- to 3.25-meters). A native of the dry inland laurel forests of the Canary Islands, tree echium survives as a half-hardy biennial. It is a spectacular plant in bloom and has become endangered in its native habitat, though it is very popular in cultivation.

Dense rosettes of linear, silvery or dusty green foliage overwinter and...

(Paperbush)

Paperbush is a small deciduous shrub with interesting open branching that bears late winter blossoms. The small yellow flowers are covered in fuzzy hairs on this native of China. These fragrant flowers eventually fade to a creamy white. The large leaves are nice dark green on this unusual shrub. Young leaves emerge with a felt texture. The branches are relatively few, but are very architectually appealing. After blooming, little purple-green berries develop. New flower buds, interesting in themselves,...

(Common Water Hyacinth)

Common water hyacinth is beautiful aquatic plant native to South America. It is a floating plant that forms dense mats, sometimes rooting in the mud. The leaves are elliptical to oval arising from rosettes on inflated petioles. The roots are dark blue-black and feathery. New plants form readily along floating stolons or horizontal stems. The flowers are held above the foliage in dense spikes when the weather is warm. The flowers are generally 2-lipped with blue to lavender petals and a central yellow...

(Goumi)

A native of the open woods and thickets of China, goumi is a variable species valued for its edible fruit as well as ornamental qualities. This large, flat-topped, densely-foliaged shrub or small tree has spreading branches with a pleasing look. It is fully deciduous and fixes atmospheric nitrogen into the soil.

The tough, fast-growing silverberries, or silverthorns, are irresistible to gardeners looking to fill large spaces fast. Most of these shrubby woody plants are grown for their interesting...