(Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach)

Pretty in flower and with edible, spinach-like foliage, Malabar spinach is a fast-growing vine that has both ornamental and culinary qualities. This heat-tolerant native of India is perennial and fully evergreen where hardy and has densely twining, rambling stems that can become thick and may require some management to keep them from overtaking supports.

The long, fleshy, green stems of Malabar spinach readily twine around anything upright and are lined with rounded, heart-shaped leaves of a...

(Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach)

Red-stemmed and pretty in flower, red Malabar spinach is a fast-growing vine that has both ornamental and culinary qualities. Its tender leaves can be eaten like spinach and colorful stems add season-long interest. A native of India, Malabar spinach is a fully evergreen tender perennial with densely twining, rambling stems that can become thick and often require management to keep them from overtaking supports.

The long, fleshy, reddish purple stems of red Malabar spinach readily twine around...

(Burningbush, Kochia)

A fast-growing annual with dense foliage on upright stems, Burning bush is showy in autumn as its leaves turn reddish purple. Native to Eurasia, this species is usually considered a weed elsewhere because it reseeds itself abundantly.

The leaves are thin and oblong or linear, ranging in color from light green to a light gray-green. The soft, fleshy stems are blushed salmon-red and can readily flop or break in a rain or wind downburst. Flowers occur in summer but are inconspicuous. In autumn the...

(Blake's Butterfly Tree, Chinese Orchid Tree, Hong Kong Orchid Tree)

One of the most beautiful and serviceable of the orchid trees, Hong Kong orchid tree is sterile and a putative hybrid between two Southeast Asian bauhinias. (Some scientists believe it is a hybrid between Bauhinia purpurea and B. variegata, but they have been unable to duplicate the cross.) It grows to become a broad, spreading small tree and produces loads of variable deep pink blooms from fall to winter. Choose it as a specimen for drier tropical and subtropical gardens and landscapes.

Borne...

(Butterfly Tree, Nasturtium Bauhinia, Red Bauhinia)

When in bloom, the nasturium-bauhinia looks like a reddish-orange bougainvillea from a distance due to its habit and profuse flowers. A semi-deciduous tree native to southeastern Africa, it grows upright, but has drooping, spreading branches that flop to the ground or on to nearby plants.

The leaves are rounded and divided into two lobes like other Bauhinia. They are a light to medium green and shed during the cool or lightly frosty winter season. The five-petaled flowers bloom most...

(Butterfly Tree, Orchid Tree)

Extraordinary orchid-like blossoms make this tropical tree one of the most beautiful available. Orchid tree is native to Southeast Asia and is well adapted to hot tropical climates as well as more mild ones. It grows to a medium height and has an open canopy.

This semi-evergreen tree loses its leaves in early spring just before it blooms, which really helps the showy flowers stand out. The exotic blossoms are spidery and rich magenta to pink in color. They literally cloak the entire tree creating...

(Bottle Palm, Ponytail Palm)

Heat and drought are no problem for this tough plant. Ponytail palm is a tall, palm-like plant that is not a true palm but is closely related to agave. It has an upright, fleshy, trunk-like stem that becomes swollen at the base, where is stores water. This is topped with clusters of long, curved, sword-shaped leaves that hang down giving the appearance of a pony’s tail. When mature, it produces panicles of fragrant cream colored flowers that are pollinated by bats.

Ponytail palm thrives in hot...

(Ponytail Palm, Variegated Ponytail Palm)

Heat and drought are no problem for this tough plant. Ponytail palm is a tall, palm-like plant that is not a true palm but is closely related to agave. It has an upright, fleshy, trunk-like stem that becomes swollen at the base, where is stores water. This is topped with clusters of long, curved, sword-shaped leaves that hang down giving the appearance of a pony’s tail. When mature, it produces panicles of fragrant cream colored flowers that are pollinated by bats.

Ponytail palm thrives in hot...

(Easter Lily Vine, Herald's Trumpet, Nepal Trumpet Flower)

With dangling clusters of large white trumpet-shaped flowers in very late winter and into the spring, herald's trumpet is a spectacular vine perfect for smaller tropical gardens. A heavy, vigorous evergreen vine it is native to southern Asia from the Himalayan foothills southeastward into Vietnam. Here, its lily-like blooms appear in proximity to the Easter holiday, yielding another common name.

Rust-colored hairs are on the undersides of youngest leaves before they mature to larger oval or oblong...

(Ambassador Pink Begonia, Fibrous Begonia, Wax Begonia)

Popular bedding plants, ambassador pink wax begonias are tender perennials of hybrid origin. These plants are evergreen in tropical to sub-tropical zones but grown as annuals in temperate zones. Ambassador pink wax begonias bloom continuously in summer displaying bright pink blooms on light green foliage. They prefer well drained soil in full sun to partial shade. As reliable bloomers they are often used as annuals in containers, hanging baskets and mass plantings.