(Autumn Pink Bluebeard, Bluebeard)

Autumn Pink bluebeard is a compact deciduous shrub that brings an unexpected display of light rosy-pink flowers among bright green leaves in late summer and fall. Native of China and Japan, it blooms from the current season's growth. Bright green leaves, each oval but with jagged lobes, appear in pairs along the stems and are fragrant if crushed. In late summer and into early autumn, clusters of very pale pink flowers emerge from the paired leaf joints. Butterflies and bees will visit the plant when...

(Arthur Simmonds Bluebeard, Blue Mist Shrub, Blue Spirea, Bluebeard)

The first and one of the hardiest cultivars of Caryopteris × clandonensis, this small deciduous shrub covers itself with misty blue flowers in late summer, when most other plants are flagging. A hybrid of C. incana and C. mongholica, 'Arthur Simmonds' originated in the garden of its namesake sometime before 1933.

This rounded, knee- to waist-high shrub is densely cloaked with small, narrowly oval, gray-green leaves with silvery, felted...

(Azure Bluebeard, Blue Mist Shrub, Blue Spirea, Bluebeard)

Prized for its prolific late-summer display of blue flowers, Caryopteris × clandonensis is a small deciduous shrub originating from a cross between C. incana and C. mongholica. The cultivar 'Azure' has bright powder-blue blooms.

This rounded, knee- to waist-high shrub is densely cloaked with small, narrowly oval, gray-green leaves with silvery, felted undersides. Bruised leaves emit a pungent minty odor. In late summer and early fall dense...

(Blue Mist Bluebeard, Blue Mist Shrub, Blue Spirea, Bluebeard)

Prized for its prolific late-summer display of blue flowers, Caryopteris × clandonensis is a small deciduous shrub originating from a cross between C. incana and C. mongholica. The cultivar 'Blue Mist' has powder-blue blooms.

This rounded, knee- to waist-high shrub is densely cloaked with small, narrowly oval, gray-green leaves with silvery, felted undersides. Bruised leaves emit a pungent minty odor. In late summer and early fall dense...

(Bluebeard, Ferndown Bluebeard)

Valued for its relatively dark-hued flowers and compact habit, 'Ferndown' is named after the Dorset, England nursery where it originated about 1950. It is one of many cultivars of the small deciduous shrub Caryopteris × clandonensis (the hybrid of C. incana and C. mongholica).

This rounded, knee-high shrub is densely cloaked with small, narrowly oval, dark green leaves with a silvery sheen. Bruised leaves emit a pungent minty odor. In late...

(Blue Mist Shrub, Blue Spirea, Bluebeard, Kew Blue Bluebeard)

Prized for its prolific late-summer display of blue flowers, Caryopteris × clandonensis is a small deciduous shrub originating from a cross between C. incana and C. mongholica. The rich blue flowers of 'Kew Blue' are darker than those of many other bluebeard cultivars. It originated in 1945 as a seedling of the original C. × clandonensis cultivar, 'Arthur Simmonds'.

This rounded, knee- to waist-high shrub is densely cloaked...

(Silver Cassia)

Silvery blue-green foliage and yellow buttercup-shaped flowers that appear in late winter are best ornamental features of the silver cassia. This fast-growing evergreen shrub is native to arid central Australia. It is exceptionally tolerant of dry soil, heat, frosts and hot sunlight. It looks like an acacia, but the five-petaled flowers reveal its inclusion in the genus Cassia. Silver cassia attains a wispy-looking rounded to upright, v-shaped habit.

To conserve moisture in its hot,...

(Catasetum Orchid, Orchid)

A tremendous array of flower colors and shapes occur in the Catasetum orchid genus. It contains roughly 100 species that are deciduous in the tropical winter dry season. Dozens more hybrids, called "grexes" have been created by plant breeders. These tropical herbaceous perennials hail from hot, sultry tropical Central America to northern South America.

"Catasetum" is a Greek compound word meaning "down bristle." This group of orchids is quite unique in having different gender flowers...

(Bearded Catasetum Orchid, Orchid)

A curious looking orchid that loses its leaves in winter, the bearded catasetum is renowned for its pleasingly fragrant, long-lasting green and white flowers. Unlike many other orchids, it is also surprisingly easy to grow, as long as the watering regime offers a mandatory winter dormancy. The bearded catasetum orchid is native to the rainforests of lowland northern South America, north of the Amazon River.

"Catasetum" is a Greek compound word meaning "down bristle." This orchid genus is unique...

(Catasetum Orchid, Orchid)

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