(Tat Soi, Tatsoi)

The Narinosa group of Brassica rapa is commonly referred to as tatsoi (tat soi), also known as flat pac choy. This delicious leafy vegetable forms compact, flat clusters of spoon-shaped leaves with thick leaf stalks. It matures quickly, 21 days for baby greens and 45 days for full heads, and has a fresh, crisp flavor and texture. It is one of several Brassica rapa types which are Eurasian in origin but now cultivated worldwide.

This cool-season, biennial vegetable forms tight...

(Celery Cabbage, Napa Cabbage)

Bearing dark to pale green leaves with prominent white midveins, brassicas in the Pekinensis group include the vegetables Napa cabbage, bok choy and celery cabbage. It is one of several groups in Brassica rapa, which is Eurasian in origin but now cultivated worldwide. Pekinensis types are thin-leaved with a sweet, mildly tangy flavor. Habits vary and may be barrel-shaped with crinkled foliage or cylindrical with smooth leaves.

These mustard-like annual or biennial, cool-season plants...

(Kabuna, Mizuna, Spinach Mustard, Tendergreen)

A fast-growing annual or biennial grown as a vegetable leaf crop, mizuna tastes like sweet lettuce with peppery zest. The Japanese word "mizuna" translates to "water vegetable", referring to the juicy stalks. Young, smaller leaves are typically harvested and added to mesclun salad mixes, while larger slightly stronger-flavored foliage is used in cooked dishes. Some botanists suspect the subspecies nipposinica is European but it has naturalized across eastern Asia where it is most associated...

(Greater Quaking Grass)

The genus Briza comprises around 22 accepted species of annual or perennial grasses. They are commonly called quaking grasses because their pendulous, papery seedheads are produced on upright stems that quake in the wind. Most species are Eurasian, with a few New World species existing in South America. (Some taxonomists believe South American species should be reclassified under the three separate genera, Calotheca, Chascolytrum and Poidium.) Many cultivated Briza...

(Perennial Quaking Grass)

Common quaking grass is a perennial, tufted grass grown mostly for its interesting seed pods. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized in the cooler regions of North America. The leaves are linear, narrow, flat, upright and green to blue-green in color. Common quaking grass spreads slowly by rhizome (underground stem). Flowers are small and green held in lacy branched heads on stiff, leafless stalks well above the foliage, doubling the size of the plant. They appear later spring into summer. The fruit...

(California Brodiaea)

The largest and arguably most beautiful brodiaea, this "bulb" from the foothills and coastal ranges of California blooms in a starburst of flowers reminiscent of a small Agapanthus. The clusters of up to 12 upfacing funnel-shaped flowers perch atop wiry knee-high stems in late spring and early summer. The purple, lavender, pinkish, or white flowers have dark longitudinal midstripes. Long grassy leaves precede the flowers, withering before or as the flowers open. Like all other of its genus,...

(Angel's Trumpet, Brugmansia, Frosty Pink Angel's Brugmansia)

The dramatic, pale coral pink and white blooms of ‘Frosty Pink’ make this tropical perennial a winner in southerly gardens and container plantings. This angel’s trumpet is a highly ornamental evergreen shrub to small tree. Throughout the season it produces huge, pendulous, trumpet-shaped blooms that are white edged in pink. These are fragrant, attract moths and contrast nicely with its large soft green leaves.

Heat, humidity and sun-loving, angel’s trumpet grows best in fertile, organic-rich...

(Angel's Trumpet, Brugmansia, Peaches and Cream Brugmansia)

Beautifully variegated foliage and peachy pendulous flowers distinguish ‘Peaches and Cream.’ This angel’s trumpet is a highly ornamental evergreen shrub to small tree. Throughout the season it produces huge, pendulous, trumpet-shaped blooms that are soft apricot. These are fragrant, attract moths and contrast nicely with its large medium green leaves edged in cream.

Heat, humidity and sun-loving, angel’s trumpet grows best in fertile, organic-rich soil with good drainage and requires regular...

(Yellow Angel's Trumpet)

Prized for its huge scented flowers, this broadleaf evergreen from the northern Andes grows as a small multi-stemmed tree in the wild. Showy, trumpet-shaped, golden or white blooms dangle from its spreading branches in summer and fall. Each flower broadens at its tip into five pointed backswept lobes. The blossoms cast a heavy fragrance after dark, attracting moths and other night-flying pollinators. The large, oval, smooth or hairy leaves alternate along the stems. Mature plants bear smooth-margined...

(Golden Queen Angel's Trumpet, Yellow Angel's Trumpet)

Prized for its huge scented flowers, this broadleaf evergreen from the northern Andes grows as a small multi-stemmed tree in the wild. Showy, trumpet-shaped, golden or white blooms dangle from its spreading branches in summer and fall. Each flower broadens at its tip into five pointed backswept lobes. The blossoms cast a heavy fragrance after dark, attracting moths and other night-flying pollinators. The large, oval, smooth or hairy leaves alternate along the stems. Mature plants bear smooth-margined...