(Aleutian Maidenhair)

Deceptively delicate in appearance but tough in constitution, Aleutian maidenhair is a deciduous fern found over a wide area of western North America and eastern Asia, with scattered populations in the eastern United States. The cultivar 'Imbricatum' is a dwarf selection with ruffled feathery blue-green "branches" (pinnae). Several pinnae with triangular wavy-edged leaf-like segments arise from a curving "stem" (rachis), the whole forming a lacy fan-like frond that nearly parallels the ground. The...

(Common Maidenhair Fern, Southern Maidenhair Fer)

Delicate and shade-loving, southern maidenhair fern is a beautiful plant native to tropical and temperate regions throughout the world. This species is evergreen in tropical and subtropical areas and deciduous in temperate regions.

It's most admired for its small, fine fronds comprised of dainty, fan-shaped leaflets of light green that move in the slightest breeze. These are supported by glossy black stems that arise from short creeping rhizomes.

Southern maidenhair fern grows best in moist,...

(Maidenhair Fern, Northern Maidenhair Fern)

Maidenhair fern is an herbaceous perennial native to North America and eastern Asia. The compact cultivar 'Imbricatum' bears delicate, cascading, bright bluish green fronds with overlapping segments and dark purple stems. In hot dry weather the fronds may develop brown tips.

This exquisite woodland plant makes an excellent accent for shady grottoes or gardens. It does best in damp, shady sites with evenly moist, highly organic soil.

(Bishop's Goutweed)

Bishop's Goutweed is a fast-spreading Eurasian groundcover that has become naturalized across the whole of North America. It spreads via rhizomes (rooting underground stems) and has green compound leaves with three to nine leaflets. The equally weedy garden variety, 'Variegatum', is the most common form in cultivation and has leaves mottled with ivory.

In mid-spring to summer, goutweed produces umbels of tiny white flowers that are insect-pollinated and produce lots of brown seeds that spread...

(Bishop's Goutweed, Snow-on-the-Mountain, Variegated Bishop's Goutweed)

Snow-on-the-Mountain is a rapidly spreading groundcover that is native to Europe and western Asia and has rampantly naturalized in North America. 'Variegatum' has three to nine widely divided, white and light green aromatic leaves that travel by way of fibrous roots and rhizomes. In mid spring to summer it produces umbels of tiny white flowers that turn to seed that will eagerly broadcast itself and freely germinate. (Removing seed heads when possible curtails unwanted volunteers from germinating)....

(Aeonium)

Grown for their architectural and often colorful foliage, aeoniums are evergreen succulent perennials or shrubs found mainly on the Canary Islands. They bear fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves in rosettes at the tips of one to several stems, with new growth appearing in late fall and early winter. Typically bright green to blue-green, the leaves are variegated, purple, or golden on some selections, and may have red-tinted margins. Many aeoniums are low mat-forming plants with short rosette stems; others...

(Aeonium, Kiwi Aeonium, Variegated Aeonium)

Its colorful foliage makes this low evergreen succulent a real stand-out in mild climate gardens. It may be a hybrid of Aeonium haworthii developed in Australia. Kiwi aeonium produces dense mounded rosettes of fleshy light green leaves that are chartreuse upon emerging in fall. The somewhat hairy, spade-shaped leaves have crimson margins and may develop pinkish variegation in cool weather. The rosettes are borne on short stems which root on contact with soil, resulting in a spreading mound...

(Tree Aeonium)

An architecturally interesting succulent for garden color and texture, tree aeonium is a heat- and drought- tolerant native of Morocco. Its branched stems are upright, each bearing a tight rosette of spoon-shaped, bright green leaves. Some plants' leaves are mottled or blushed lightly with burgundy or purplish tones. In the spring, each mature rosette produces an upright stalk that towers above the foliage. At the top of the stalk is a dense mass of bright yellow flowers, each small and with many...

(Tree Aeonium, Zwartkop Aeonium)

A wonderful plant for color and textural interest, Zwartkop tree aeonium is a heat- and drought-tolerant succulent that originates from Morocco. The words "zwartkop" or "schwarzkopf" mean "black rose or head," referring to the dark leaf clusters. Its branched stems are upright, each bearing a tight rosette of spoon-shaped near-black leaves. A leaf is rich in very dark red pigments, making it look black from a distance. In the spring, each mature rosette develops an upright stalk that reaches above...

(Aoenium, Pinwheel)

Easy to grow, this shrubby evergreen from the Canary Islands is prized for its handsome succulent foliage. It bears rosettes of fleshy light green spade-shaped leaves at the tips of branching knee-high stems, with new growth appearing in late fall and early winter. The leaves often have red-tinted margins. Where stems contact soil they will root, developing ever larger mounds with time. In spring, each rosette puts forth a large, single flower stalk topped with creamy yellow blossoms. The rosette...