(Flaming Glorybower)

Crinkly, deeply veined leaves create a lovely backdrop to the festive orange flowers that grace flaming glorybower. This tropical, twining, sprawling evergreen is a native of western Africa, from Senegal to Angola. Its deeply veined leaves are bright green when they emerge and then deepen to glossy dark green. The blooms can appear anytime of year but the heaviest showing of blossoms is in midwinter, just after the solstice.

The flowers heavily cover the twining stems and are borne in big flattened...

(Bagflower, Bleeding Heart Vine)

Beautiful flower clusters of red and white adorn this West African flowering vine when growing conditions are favorable. Bleeding heart vine is evergreen, though it will lose some leaves during the cool, dry African winter. It is vigorous and climbs via twining stems. In the wild, it twines up trees in tropical forests, so it’s naturally shade tolerant.

The dark green leaves of bleeding heart vine are ovate and deeply veined. During the growing season, or when conditions are favorable, it bears...

(Harlequin Glorybower)

Fragrant white flowers followed by blue berries and starry red calyces make this large suckering deciduous shrub a highlight of the summer garden. One of the hardiest glorybowers, it is native to eastern Asia.

The large oval to triangular leaves are papery and often fuzzy. Crushed leaves smell like peanut butter. Large, loose clusters of fused, inflated, green or pink calyces appear atop and along the stems in mid to late summer, opening to release vanilla-scented white flowers. The five-lobed...

(Harlequin Glorybower)

Green and creamy ivory variegated foliage and pretty white flowers followed by blue berries set upon clusters of red stars makes the Carnival harlequin glorybower an exciting accent for gardens in mild-wintered regions. A deciduous, usually multi-stemmed large shrub, it is native to Japan, eastern China and Taiwan. Its leaves are soft and hairy, being oval or slightly elongated and will smell of an odd scent of crushed peanuts. They are medium green in color with edges that are creamy ivory to white....

(Blue Butterfly Bush, Glorybower)

The unusual, colorful flowers of blue butterfly bush make this a highly sought after garden plant for temperate and tropical gardens alike. This rangy, frost-tender, evergreen shrub is native to tropical East Africa. Often listed as a vine, it has a weak, upright habit and sometimes requires support, though it is far too rangy or bushy to be considered a true vine.

Large, coarsely toothed, elliptical leaves of medium green line the square stems in opposite arrangement. The flowers are borne...

(Bridal Veil)

Long elegant leaves, and attractive pendent flowerbuds followed by decorative white flowers gives bridal veil a reputation as being one of autumn’s most magnificent plants. This tender tropical shrub with long stems that gracefully arch is native from India and China into Southeast Asia. The foliage is glossy dark green and leaves are narrowly lance-shaped with obvious indented veins and tips that are curled. In early fall the branch tips form elegant and beautiful pendent flowerbud clusters that...

(Lily-of-the-valley Tree, Madeira Laurel)

Lily-of-the-valley tree's lustrous deep green leaves are the perfect backdrop for the late summertime white blossoms that mimic those of the common perennial lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria). Native to the highland center of the Madeira Islands off of the northwest coast of Africa, this broadleaf evergreen small tree grows best in mild climates with nearly frost-free winters and many regard this as the finest of all Clethra species. It's also called the Madeira laurel.

Ranging...

(Japanese Clethra, Japanese Sweetshrub)

Underutilized as a remarkably beautiful shrub, Japanese clethra has glossy foliage, a beautiful late summer white flower display and colorful exfoliating bark. An upright large shrub to small tree, this deciduous plant is native to Japan and eastern China.

Its dark green, glossy leaves are long ovals. In mid- to late summer, the branch tips bear a little cluster or finger-like flower clusters that droop (raceme panicles). Slightly fragrant, they attract bees and butterflies. In autumn the foliage...

(Eastern Summersweet, Jamaican Wild Pear, Soapwood)

Native to montane rainforests of Jamaica, Mexico and northern Central America, this evergreen canopy tree is regarded for its green fruits that have a white, meaty flesh that tastes sweet.

(Asian Pigeonwings, Blue Pea Vine)

Delicate foliage and dangling blue flowers with yellow cores make blue pea vine a popular herbaceous plant. A tender perennial vine that grows rapidly, it is often grown as an annual in gardens both in and out of the tropics. The exact origin of this species is debated as it is widespread in equatorial regions, but tropical Africa or Indonesia and Malaysia are likely native regions.

The leaves are compound, made up of five to seven small, oval leaflets that are light green with a hint of blue....