(Snapdragon)

The heavy blooming, compact snapdragons in the Twinny Series are double and lipless, so technically they don't snap. The "butterfly" blooms come in lots of pretty colors including the 2010 All-American Selections winner, 'Twinny Peach.' They are noted for their heat tolerance and high-performance as well as beauty. Members of the Twinny Series were bred by HEM Genetics.

Commonly grown as an annual, snapdragon is actually a short-lived perennial that originates from southwestern Europe and the...

(Orange Shrimp Plant, Panama Queen, Sinclair's Aphelandra)

Showing that Mother Nature loves jarring colors, Panama queen bodaciously displays flowers in late winter with orange bracts and rosy pink flowers. A tall, rangy evergreen tropical shrub from Central America, it is tender to chilly temperatures, readily shedding leaves in cold or droughts.

The long tapered oval leaves are glossy green to yellow-green, with depressed veins that add a corrugated texture. In the waning days of winter and into the late spring, the stem tips hold an upright flower...

(Zebra Plant)

Long loved as a houseplant, zebra plant is a beautiful tropical shrub with glossy dark green leaves striped with white. This robust shade lover is fully evergreen and originates from the humid jungles of Central and South America, so it thrives where growing conditions are sultry. Mature specimens have the added plus of beautiful conical flowers.

The long, oval leaves of this striking foliage plant are dark glossy green with contrasting white or pale yellow midribs and veins. Indoor plants rarely...

(Louisa Silver Zebra Plant, Zebra Plant)

The popular zebra plant cultivar, 'Louisae', is much like the species but has a tighter, more compact habit and larger ornate striped leaves and yellow and red flowers. It is superior for container culture and better suited to smaller tropical landscapes.

Long loved as a houseplant, zebra plant is a beautiful tropical shrub with glossy dark green leaves striped with white. This robust shade lover is fully evergreen and originates from the humid jungles of Central and South America, so it thrives...

(Fiery Spike, Red Aphelandra)

Fiery scarlet, cockscomb-like flower heads top the red aphelandra in summer or fall. A frost tender evergreen shrub, it is native to the rainforests of northern South America and the West Indies. It becomes an upright-stemmed plant with a spreading habit.

The medium green leaves are flared ovals, having a waved wider midsection. Flowering in the warm months, often delayed into late summer or well into autumn, each stem tip forms an architectural "hand". It has a primary upward stem that bears...

(Celeriac)

Little known in the United States, celeriac is grown for its rather homely edible rootstock. The cultivar 'Brilliant' has relatively smooth, medium-large, buff-colored "roots," with firm white flesh. Thought to have originated in northern Europe, celeriac is a variety of celery (Apium graveolens), a widely cultivated biennial native to Europe, Southwest Asia, and North Africa. This vegetable is also known as celery root or knob celery.

Protruding from the soil like a knobby,...

(Celeriac)

Little known in the United States, celeriac is grown for its rather homely, bulbous, edible stem and roots. Thought to have originated in northern Europe, it is a variety of celery (Apium graveolens), a widely cultivated biennial native to Europe, Southwest Asia, and North Africa. Celeriac is also known as celery root or knob celery.

Protruding from the soil like a knobby, partially buried baseball, the edible "root" gives rise to long fleshy stalks bearing deep green, incised,...

(Baby Sun Rose, Heartleaf Ice Plant)

The small, heart-shaped leaves of baby sun rose contrast with its magenta-red, daisy-like flowers. This tender, succulent, creeping evergreen perennial is native to southern Africa.

The fleshy leaves are bright green, heart-shaped, and covered in very tiny hairs, and thus feel felt-like. The flowers, with many string-like petals surrounding a small, yellow-white eye, are the size of a large thumbnail and open only when the sun is shining. They are a rich magenta-red and attract butterflies.

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(Heartleaf Ice Plant, Red Apple Heartleaf Ice Plant)

The small leaves of ‘Red Apple’ heartleaf make a soft carpet and background below its daisy-like flowers. This tender, succulent, creeping, evergreen perennial is native to southern Africa.

The leaves are fleshy, heart-shaped, and covered by tiny hairs, and thus feel felt-like. The flowers, with many string-like petals surrounding a small yellow-white eye, are the size of a thumbnail and open only when the sun is shining. They are a rich red and attract butterflies.

Grow 'Red Apple' in full...

(Ballerina Columbine, Columbine)

The fluffy, appleblossom- pink flowers of Aquilegia 'Ballerina' add a lively, feminine touch to the garden. Appearing in late spring to early summer, the airy, fully-double blooms are held gracefully on slender stems atop mounds of lacy, sea-green foliage.

Aquilegia ‘Ballerina’ performs best in dappled sun to partial shade and evenly moist, nutrient-rich soil with good drainage. It will readily cross with other columbine and self-sow if allowed to go to seed, which is considered...