(Tall Oatgrass)

Tall oatgrass is a perennial tufted grass. It is native to Eurasia but is widely introduced in North America, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand because it was originally planted as a pasture grass. It is now considered an invasive weed of old fields, prairies and natural meadows.

This prolific grass has medium green blades that are tall, upright, linear and rough to the touch. The inconspicuous pale green or purple flowers are produced in late spring and early summer and resemble oats. Oatgrass...

(Powis Castle Wormwood, Wormwood)

When it comes to super silver foliage nothing performs like ‘Powis Castle’!

This distinctive wormwood is a large, semi-woody, mound-forming, deciduous perennial. From spring to fall it offers feathery silver leaves that partner well with many other flowering ornamentals. In late summer insignificant silver and yellow tinged panicles of blooms may appear, though ‘Powis Castle’ often does not flower. If blooms do appear simply remove them to keep the distinctive soft textured foliage neat looking....

(French Tarragon)

The fragrant leaves of tarragon lend herbal sweetness to vegetables, salads and meats. Native from Europe to western North America, it is a clump-forming, shrubby perennial herb that's sun-loving and quite easy to grow. It is related to wormwood and absinthe and a member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae.

The aromatic, green, strap-like leaves of tarragon appear in spring, when they are at their sweetest. In summer insignificant clusters of yellowish white flowers may be produced. Stems of...

(Star Wormwood)

Despite its close resemblance to the tender perennial Senecio cineraria (better known as dusty miller), this herbaceous perennial from the coasts of Northeast Asia is rock hardy. It is also highly adaptable, having naturalized in both Northern Europe and the Northeast United States. It creeps and sprawls to form carpets of lobed leaves that are densely covered with silver-white fuzz. The leaves are concentrated toward the tips of the stems. Clusters of dull yellow nondescript flowers appear...

(Common Wormwood, Mugwort, Oriental Limelight Mugwort)

This variegated form of the weedy common wormwood has pretty enough golden variegated foliage but is profoundly invasive in the garden and beyond. It is next to impossible to get rid of once it takes hold. Plants aggressively spread via underground stems, called rhizomes, which form large matted colonies—even the smallest rhizome left in the ground will result in a new plant.

Common Wormwood is an herbaceous perennial that originates from areas across Europe, Africa, Asia and arguably northwestern...

(Arum, Cretan Arum)

At first glance of the Cretan arum in bloom, you'd think it was a lemon-scented calla lily. Native to the rocky mountainous hillsides of the Greek island of Crete, and adjacent western Turkey, it prospers in sunnier conditions, unlike many other arums which prefer shade.

The medium green, satiny leaves look like small arrowheads and appear from fall to spring. They die back in summer during the arid heat of the Mediterranean. Any time in spring, flower stems will rise above the leaves. Each bloom...

(Arum, Black Calla Lily, Palestine Arum)

One of the most visually dramatic of arums, the Palestine arum's large flowers are purplish burgundy with a curved central black spadix. This herbaceous perennial is native to the woodlands and shrubby steppes across Israel, western Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, including those at higher mountain elevations. It doesn't grow near the Mediterranean coast. An atypical feature of this arum is the flower’s scent. It doesn’t smell rancid, like most arums, but emits a sickeningly sweet rose-like scent.

The...

(Orchid)

Often called bamboo orchids because of their grassy leaves and wiry stems, members of Arundina comprise two different species, Arundina graminifolia and Arundina caespitosa. All exist in the meadows and open forests of Southeast Asia, from the Himalayas to Malaysia.

These terrestrial (ground-dwelling) wildflowers grow from a rhizome and produce sword-like leaves. A central flower stalk lined with showy pink, violet-pink, or white and pink bicolored flowers, which open...

(Orchid)

Growing in shallow, moist soil or directly upon moist rocks, this species of bamboo orchid is native to the middle elevations of southern China, Laos and Vietnam where growing conditions are warm and humid. In its natural habitat, this rhizomatous orchid is quite prolific and forms grass-like clumps.

The upright stems have grassy blades, which clasp the stem with basal sheaths, giving it the appearance of a grass or compact bamboo. In late summer to fall, tall, upright floral stalks appear which...

(Bamboo Orchid)

Best known for its grassy foliage and beautiful, fragrant pink blooms, this species of bamboo orchid is distributed across the middle elevations from northern India to Sri Lanka, South China and Southeast Asia where growing conditions are warm and humid. In its natural habitat, this rhizomatous orchid is quite prolific and forms grassy clumps. In its natural habitat it is most commonly terrestrial (ground dwelling), though plants may also be found growing on rock faces or rarely in trees. This species...