(American Aloe, False Aloe)

Interesting brownish burgundy spots decorate the undulating leaves of 'Spot.' These decorative spots have been known to diminish as plants age or revert away. Once named Agave virginica but relabeled Manfreda virginica, false aloe forms a lovely succulent rosette of smooth, waxy, sword-shaped leaves with undulating edges and sharp tips. A native of the southern and southeastern United States, it naturally inhabits rocky wooded areas and dry thickets where soils are somewhat sandy...

(Mango)

Mango trees are long-lived, large and bear the queen of tropical fruits. They are evergreen and native to tropical Asia, particularly the area from eastern India to Myanmar, and produce luscious sweet mangoes when mature.

This fruit has been cultivated for centuries. It is said that Buddhist monks brought the fruit to Malaya and eastern Asia sometime during the third or fourth centuries. The trees spread throughout the subtropical and tropical regions of the world as global exploration expanded....

(Mango, Manila Mango)

The mango ‘Manila’ is a popular variety thought to originate from a Mexican seedling of unknown parentage. Its small to medium-sized fruits are produced earlier than others and have a sharp flavor. They are flattened, long, and somewhat kidney-shaped and have fibrous, rich butter yellow flesh when ripe. The trees are smaller than most mangoes, which makes them ideal for the home garden.

Mango trees are long-lived, large and bear the queen of tropical fruits. They are evergreen and native to...

(Cassava, Manioc, Tapioca Plant, Yuca)

Having many economic uses of its starchy root, cassava has ornate hand-like (palmate) leaves and small, curious flowers lacking petals. This upright, bushy tender tropical perennial with semi-woody stems is native to northern South America in a north-south swath across the Amazon River Basin from the Caribbean Sea to Bolivia. Although a frost-tender plant, it is root hardy in regions with frosty, mild winters and will quickly rejuvenate when soil warms in spring.

The dark green leaves have an...

(Variegated Cassava, Variegated Tapioca)

This deciduous tropical tree is an agricultural crop in the tropics where its fleshy roots are the source of tapioca. It is a native of southern Brazil and has long been cultivated by indigenous peoples who harvest the roots that resemble yams. The processed food product made from cooked, ground roots is known as cassava or yuca. This variegated form is much smaller with the proportions of a shrub, with semi-woody stems, truly being a tropical herb. The foliage is composed of dinner-plate sized...

(Mexican Fence Post Cactus, Organ Cactus )

Fence post cactus is among the most easily identified, particularly when grown edge to edge as a living fence. Native to much of central Mexico, this quite lovely cactus shows more skin than most of its spinier relatives. As tall as a one story house, the straight, upright stems can reach significant diameter with age, as wide as a human hand. This cactus branches from the root, producing a clump of stems that rarely branch, making them a clean, upright fence-post like shape, hence the name. Areoles...

(Silver Edged Horehound)

A low, fuzzy, mat-forming perennial from uplands of Turkey, this 2009 Plant Select® winner makes an ideal groundcover for arid, high-altitude gardens.

This hardy, vigorous perennial forms a carpet of woolly, rounded, sage-green leaves with silver-white margins and undersides. Inconspicuous flowers are borne on short spikes in summer.

Silver-edged horehound prospers in full sun and porous, relatively infertile soil. It does poorly in hot humid conditions. Remove all flower stalks to improve...

(Pineapple Weed, Ray-less Dogfennel)

A cousin to the herb chamomile, pineapple weed is encountered as a diminutive weed invading lawns, roadsides or other gravelly, unmanaged landscapes. It's native to western North America, but grows all across the continent today. With close examination, this annual may briefly intrigue you with its petalless flowers and frilly leaves that faintly smell of pineapple when crushed.

Pineapple weed will grow any time of year when frosts do not occur and temperatures are warm. The dark green leaves...

(Annual Chrysanthemum, Annual Paludosum Daisy)

Dainty daises top the mounded lacy foliage of this low, bushy, easy to grow annual. Native to Portugal, Spain and the Balearic Islands, it is sometimes called mini-Marguerite or mini-Shasta daisy.

Germinating 2 to 3 weeks after a shallow sowing, this cool-season annual puts forth a dense low-growing clump of green or gray-green, toothed, spoon-shaped leaves. In early summer, upright leafy stems are crowned with small white daisies with deep yellow centers. Each stem bears a single daisy.

Available...

(Annual Chrysanthemum, Mini Marguerite, Snowland Annual Chrysanthemum)

Native to Portugal, Spain and the Balearic Islands, paludosum daisy is a low, bushy, easy to grow annual that also goes by the names mini-Marguerite or mini-Shasta daisy. Atypically large snow-white daisies top the mounded lacy foliage of the cultivar 'Snowland.'

Germinating 2 to 3 weeks after a shallow sowing, this cool-season annual puts forth a dense low-growing clump of green jaggedly toothed leaves. In early summer, upright leafy stems are crowned with small white daisies with deep yellow...