(Carissa, Natal Plum, Tuttle's Natal Plum)

Natal plum ‘Tuttle’ is an attractive, dwarf, prostrate cultivar of Carissa macrocarpa which is a spiny shrub native to South Africa. This tropical, evergreen plant has thick, leathery leaves which are oval to roundish often with a spine at the tip and are densely packed on the stems. There are Y-shaped thorns on the stems and branches. The leaves are glossy; bright dark green on the upper surface, paler below and opposite on the stem. Milky, latex sap is exuded when the plant is cut or broken....

(Saguaro)

This genus contains just one very famous tree-like species, the giant Saguaro cactus. It is unique to the arid American Southwest and northwestern Mexico where it can be found widely scattered or in dense populations. Its massive size and familiar shape contributes largely to the character of the deserts where it is found, particularly those in Arizona.

Giant Saguaro columns feature up to thirty vertical ribs that act like an accordion, swelling in the summer rainy season then shrinking as...

(Giant Saguaro)

This enormous, branching, tree-like cactus is a favorite landscape plant in the deserts of the Southwest. Giant saguaro is native to the Sonoran Desert, from Arizona southward into Sonora, Mexico. In the wild, it is protected due to shrinking habitat and illegal wild-collection of native plants for garden cultivation. Sadly, most wild-collected plants quickly die because established, mature plants transplant poorly.

Giant saguaro columns feature up to thirty vertical ribs that act like an...

(Highway Iceplant, Hottentot Fig)

In addition to its light yellow and pale pink flowers, the highway iceplant also yields edible, fig-like fruits late in the season. This summer blooming perennial groundcover is native to the slopes of coastal and inland South Africa. It develops a relatively shallow root system and spreads via fleshy stems across the soil to create dense mats of foliage.

The short, succulent leaves are stiff, narrow and held upright. In cross section they have a distinctly triangular shape. Younger leaves...

(Caraway)

The aromatic, strong-tasting seeds of caraway are best known as a flavor in rye bread. This Eurasian herb is a hardy biennial. The aromatic oils in its seeds have a warm, earthy, almost anise-like flavor. If not harvested, the abundant seeds fall to the ground causing new plants to spring forth the following season. Caraway seeds are most popular in northern and eastern European and Russian cooking.

Clumps of feathery foliage are produced by caraway plants in the spring and summer of the first...

(Papershell Pecan, Pecan)

Though primarily known for its sweet pecans, this large deciduous tree from eastern and southern North America and Mexico also has ornamental virtues. It is a tall, beautiful tree with attractive compound leaves, a tall straight trunk and furrowed, gray-brown to brown-black bark. Many cultivars have been selected for flavor, hardiness, earliness of ripening, and other characteristics.

Trees generally take from 15 to 20-years before they are fruit-bearing. Harvest takes place very late in the...

(Burkett Pecan, Papershell Pecan)

Though primarily known for its sweet pecans, this large deciduous tree also has ornamental virtues such as attractive compound leaves and a straight, furrowed, gray-brown to brown-black trunk. A 1911 introduction that was once common in cultivation, 'Burkett' is now largely superseded by later cultivars such as its offspring 'Apache' and 'Comanche'.

Trees generally take from 15 to 20-years before they are fruit-bearing. Harvest takes place very late in the fall season, and the larger the tree...

(Candy Pecan, Papershell Pecan)

Though primarily known for its sweet pecans, this large deciduous tree also has ornamental virtues such as attractive compound leaves and a straight, furrowed, gray-brown to brown-black trunk. The cultivar 'Candy' is an old (introduced 1913) and relatively disease-resistant cultivar that bears prolific crops of relatively small nuts at an early age. Its lush, attractive leaves are darker and earlier than those of most other cultivars, making it one of the most ornamentally desirable pecans. It does...

(Cape Fear Pecan, Papershell Pecan)

Though primarily known for its sweet pecans, this large deciduous tree also has ornamental virtues such as attractive compound leaves and a straight, furrowed, gray-brown to brown-black trunk. The cultivar 'Cape Fear' bears prolific crops of pecans at an early age, but produces less heavily and becomes increasingly subject to bacterial leaf scorch as it ages. It performs best in the south central and southeast United States.

Harvest generally takes place very late in the fall season; the larger...

(Cheyenne Pecan, Papershell Pecan)

Although primarily known for its sweet nuts, this large deciduous tree from central North America also has ornamental virtues such as attractive compound leaves and a straight, furrowed, reddish brown trunk. 'Cheyenne' is a slow-growing cultivar that ripens its pecans rather late in the season. It performs well in the Southwest U.S., but has done poorly in the Southeast.

Pecan likes full sun and acid, well drained soil. Transplanting can be difficult because of its long taproot. 'Cheyenne' is...