(Hybrid Grape Holly, Winter Sun Grape Holly, Winter Sun Mahonia)

A somewhat shorter stature and heavy flowering make the hybrid grape holly, 'Winter Sun', really stand out in the winter landscape. Its fragrant, lemon yellow flowers are complimented by its fine evergreen foliage and pleasing bushy habit. In 1984 it was justly given an award of merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

The glossy evergreen foliage and gloriously fragrant yellow winter flowers of hybrid grape holly make it ideal for the landscape year round. Mahonia x media...

(Acerola, Barbados Cherry, West Indian Cherry)

Small red fruits that are rich in vitamin C, but usually quite tart, appear on the branches of the West Indian cherry in summer and fall. Often confused with and called the Barbados cherry (Malphigia glabra), this species' leaves, flowers and fruits are smaller in size, and the branches carry long spur-like branchlets. West Indian cherry's native range is much larger: the West Indies, Central America and northern South America to Peru and Venezuela.

West Indian cherry's evergreen leaves...

(Acerola, Barbados Cherry)

Small red, cherry-like fruits develop on the Barbados cherry tree across summer and early fall, but their flavor is more sour and considerably higher in vitamin C. This small evergreen tropical tree hails from the West Indies and Central America, where it is an important native fruit tree.

Smooth light brown bark lines the spreading branches of the Barbados cherry, which attains a spreading, wide V-shaped silhouette. The small oval leaves most heavily occur on branch tips. Anytime the weather...

(Turk's-cap)

Native to Mexico, this warm-climate variety of Turk’s cap hibiscus is a fast-growing evergreen shrub with unbranched stems, lance-shaped leaves, and red flowers that do not open, but instead unfurl just enough to take the shape of a fluted bell, hence the common name Cardinal’s hat. The flowers are pendent on long stalks, and a thriving plant has at least a few flowers from spring through fall, with a heavy flush of bloom in spring and autumn. It is an evergreen in frost-free regions, deciduous in...

(Meryta)

A lush, broadleaf evergreen small tree from subtropical New Caledonia, east of Australia, Denham's meryta has large, coarse glossy foliage of a dark green. While an upright single-stemmed plant when young, it eventually branches to create an irregular but rounded canopy that casts dense shade.

The very long tongue-like leathery leaves get larger with longer daylength and with ample water. Wavy-edged and dark green, they have crinkled texture and prominent yellowed veins. At a quick glance, the...

(Meryta)

This small broadleaf evergreen tree is endemic (found naturally only) to subtropical Norfolk Island, northwest of New Zealand. It is an endangered species because of overgrazing and land clearing has disrupted contiguous stands of the plant, separating male from female trees. It is found on woodland edges or on rocky cliffs and hillsides.

Usually growing with a singular trunk with only a few branches, broad-leaved meryta has large lance to almost lyre-like leaves that are glossy and light to...

(Puka)

An interesting broadleaf evergreen small tree from New Zealand, puka has glossy foliage of a rich emerald green. While an upright to twisted single-stemmed plant when young, it eventually branches to create an irregular but rounded canopy that casts shade.

The paddle-like, leahtery leaves get larger with longer daylength and with ample water. Medium to deep emerald green, they usually persist on the plant unless unusual cold or lack of soil moisture causes their drop. At a quick glance, the...

('Ohi'a Lehua, Ohi'a, Vunga)

Behold one of the Hawaiian Islands' most magnificent native plants! Ohi'a is a highly variable broadleaf evergreen. Its habit varies depending on the environment; in arid mountainous habitats it grows as a low, prostrate shrub but in lush volcanic tropical rainforests is becomes a large, upright, rounded tree. The valuable wood of ohi'a was traditionally held sacred by the Hawaiian people and used to carve images of war gods and temple icons. Today, its bright red flowers are made into leis. Ohi'a...

('Ohi'a Lehua, Springfire Ohi'a, Vunga)

A shrubby ohi'a, 'Springfire' bears spectacular clusters of fiery red pompon-like flowers atop attractive, rounded plants. Though considered compact relative to standard ohi'a, it still becomes a sizable, upright shrub when mature.

Behold one of the Hawaiian Islands' most magnificent native plants! Ohi'a is a highly variable broadleaf evergreen. Its habit varies depending on the environment; in arid mountainous habitats it grows as a low, prostrate shrub but in lush volcanic tropical rainforests...

(Heavenly Bamboo, Sacred Bamboo)

Heavenly bamboo is an upright broadleaf evergreen shrub from China and Japan. It is likened to bamboo in habit and appearance but is actually related to barberry.

Popular and widely planted in the south, this clump-forming plant produces open cane-like branches topped with airy compound leaves that are blue-green in color and leathery in texture. Leaves are often bright copper-red as they emerge and a burnished red color in winter. In summer, white panicles of small star-shaped flowers appear...