This tender succulent subshrub is beloved for its striking foliage and form. It is a robust native of eastern South Africa, where summers are moist and winters dry. Fleshy, upright, knee-high to waist-high stems are furnished with long, sickle-shaped, silver-gray leaves that resemble oversized snow pea pods. The leaves stand at right angles to the stem, clasping it at their bases, and are twisted propeller-fashion. One of the showiest crassulas in bloom, this plant bears large flat or slightly domed...

Closely paired on fleshy stems, the clasping, stubby, triangular leaves of this perennial succulent from southeastern Africa resemble a string of beads. The thick, succulent, evergreen leaves are downy and coated with a silvery bloom. Their margins turn red in sun and heat. The short upright stems become pendulous as they age and lengthen. Long cylindrical clusters of small yellowish white flowers are borne on red stalks in late winter and spring, and sporadically at other seasons. The fragrant blooms...

(Trailing Pubescent Pygmyweed)

Grown for its attractive fleshy foliage, this evergreen succulent from South Africa makes an excellent plant for containers and frost free rock gardens. The prostrate stems of this shrubby perennial root at the nodes to form carpets of bright green oval leaves that become red-tinted in sun. Upright stems topped with rounded clusters of small white flowers appear in winter and spring, and sporadically at other times of year.

Like most succulents, this plant requires fast drainage, whether grown...

Noted for their handsome, succulent, paired leaves, which are often arranged in striking geometric patterns, the 200 or so annuals, perennials, and small shrubs in the genus Crassula are mostly endemic to southern Africa.

Plants in this remarkably diverse genus have fleshy leaves and stems rich in specialized water holding cells that grant exceptional drought resistance. Plant habit ranges from creeping to upright. Most crassulas grown today are small species suitable for containers....

(Bead Vine, Crassula, Rosary Vine)

Noted for their handsome, succulent, paired leaves, which are often arranged in striking geometric patterns, the 200 or so annuals, perennials, and small shrubs in the genus Crassula are mostly endemic to southern Africa.

Plants in this remarkably diverse genus have fleshy leaves and stems rich in specialized water holding cells that grant exceptional drought resistance. Plant habit ranges from creeping to upright. Most crassulas grown today are small species suitable for containers....

The narrow, almost needle-like foliage and sparsely branched, shrubby, tree-like habit of this South African native have caused it to be misleadingly dubbed "miniature pine." In fact, it's an evergreen succulent closely related to jade plant (Crassula ovata). The apple-green, awl-shaped leaves occur in well-spaced pairs along fleshy upright stems that can reach waist height. Dense clusters of small creamy-white flowers appear at the branch tips in spring and summer. Butterflies and hummingbirds...

(Kansas Hawthorn, Red Hawthorn)

Although rare in gardens, this small, spiny, round-headed tree from the central United States is attractive year-round. Its gray spreading branches bear oval, sharply toothed leaves that are shallowly lobed toward their tips. They change from yellow-green when new to dull dark green in late spring to orange and red in fall. The foliage may be marred by rust. Clusters of 5 to 7 white flowers open in spring, giving rise to bunches of spherical to pear-shaped fruits that ripen glossy bright red in early...

(Cockspur Hawthorn)

An eastern North American native that offers a striking habit, attractive flowers, and showy fruit, cockspur hawthorn is a tree for all seasons. The variety inermis possesses all the species' virtues but lacks the usual vicious spines. Its spiny, stiffly horizontal branches are furnished with oval, glossy dark green, deciduous leaves that turn bright crimson or purple-bronze in the fall. Abundant heads of somewhat fetid white flowers open in late spring, giving rise to small spherical fruits...

(Cockspur Hawthorn, Crusader® Thornless Hawthorn)

An eastern North American native that offers a striking habit, attractive flowers, and showy fruit, cockspur hawthorn is a tree for all seasons. Crusader® possesses all the species' virtues but lacks the usual vicious spines. Its spiny, stiffly horizontal branches are furnished with oval, glossy dark green, deciduous leaves that turn bright crimson or purple-bronze in the fall. Abundant heads of somewhat fetid white flowers open in late spring, giving rise to small spherical fruits that ripen orange-red...

(English Hawthorn, Smooth Hawthorn)

English hawthorn is a small, low-branched, round-headed deciduous tree from Europe. It bears showy clusters of white flowers in late spring, followed by small spherical fruits that ripen red in fall. Some forms have pink or red blooms. The small, lobed, glossy dark green leaves do not brighten in fall. The stiff spreading or ascending limbs brandish long spines, which are beautiful when frosted with snow. Cultivars and hybrids of English hawthorn include 'Paul's Scarlet', with double rosy-purple...