(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,...

(American Chestnut)

A massive deciduous tree, the American chestnut has bristled leaves and sweet edible nuts. Native to the interior eastern United States, it is a slow-growing, broad and round-canopied tree that has gray to grayish-brown bark. It also occurs in Canada's southern Ontario, making it the nation's only native chestnut. Since the 1930s, this species has been devastated by chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica), so severely that remaining plants resprout from their trunks to merely form large...

(Chinese Chestnut)

A spreading, deciduous tree, the Chinese chestnut has bristled leaves and starchy edible nuts. Native to Korea and northern China, it is a slow-growing, round-canopied tree that has spirally-furrowed, gray to grayish-brown bark. The leaves are simple (no lobes), oblong in shape with a tapered point and edges with teeth that end in very short bristles. The leaf undersides are lighter in color and softly fuzzy. In late spring or early summer, the branches are filled with flowers in fluffy white strings...

(Common Chestnut, Spanish Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut)

A tall deciduous tree, the Spanish chestnut has bristled leaves and sweet edible nuts, giving it the alternate name of sweet chestnut. Native originally to western Asia, from Iran to the Balkans, it is now widely found in southern Europe and coastal northern Africa. It has been cultivated for over 3000 years. This is the chestnut popular worldwide for roasting and eating. It likely was dubbed "Spanish chestnut" because Englishmen regarding nuts imported from Spain had the best flavor.

The glossy...

(Giant Red Indian Paintbrush)

Tall in stature, meadow paintbrush brings upright tufted clusters of orange-red to pinkish red flowers from spring to fall. A semi-evergreen perennial native to the wetlands of western North America (no further east than the Rocky Mountains), it is also called the giant red Indian paintbrush.

The lance-shaped leaves are medium to dark green and overall are fine in texture upon the tall, wispy stems. Beginning in late spring, the stem tips bear a cluster of showy bracts (modified leaves) that...

(Southern Catalpa)

Southern catalpa is a broad, spreading, deciduous tree native to the southeastern United States. Its leaves are light green and heart-shaped. Southern catalpa bears fragrant white flowers with brown and purple markings in summer. These produce long, bean-like fruit pods in autumn.

Southern catalpa does well in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade and makes an interesting specimen tree. Cultivar 'Aurea' has yellow leaves and is smaller at maturity; 'Nana' is a dwarfed shrub...

(Golden Southern Catalpa)

Southern catalpa is a broad, spreading, deciduous tree native to the southeastern United States. Its leaves are light green and heart-shaped. Southern catalpa bears fragrant white flowers with brown and purple markings in summer. These produce long, bean-like fruit pods in autumn.

Southern catalpa does well in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade and makes an interesting specimen tree. Cultivar 'Aurea' has yellow leaves and is smaller at maturity; 'Nana' is a dwarfed shrub...

(Dwarf Southern Catalpa)

Umbrella catalpa is a dense, rounded, globe form grafted high onto southern catalpa. (It is often sold as Catalpa bungei.) It does not bloom and remains small but requires shaping. Catalpas prefer moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. Umbrella catalpa is useful in restricted spaces such as formal gardens and narrow streets.

(Northern Catalpa)

Northern catalpa is a deciduous tree with an irregular to oval form. It is native to a small area in an interior south-central region of the United States. Leaves are medium to dark green and heart-shaped. This catalpa bears fragrant white flowers with yellow and purple markings in spring. These produce long, bean-like fruit pods.

Northern catalpa prefers moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade but tolerates hot, dry conditions.

(Blue Cupids Dart, Cupid's Dart)

Cupid's dart is a short-lived perennial that originates from southwestern Europe. It forms clumps of grassy leaves which are accented by single blue to blue-lilac flowers with dark centers from midsummer to fall.

Cupid's dart is adaptable but best when grown in gritty, well drained soil and full sun. The plant will degrade and expire much more quickly in a heavy or overly wet soil. It is ideal for border plantings, cutflowers and dried flower arrangements.