(Cleveland's Shooting Star, Padre's Shooting Star)

The cheerful pink or white flowers of this California native wildflower can't be beat. It can be found in lowland forests, grasslands and scrub from northern California to northwestern Mexico and blooms in spring, after the winter rains. Most commonly called Padre’s Shooting Star, it is rarely cultivated but is sometimes sold at plant nurseries specializing in regional natives.

Neat rosettes of spatula-shaped green leaves are produced in spring and give rise to long, slender stems topped with...

(Darkthroat Shooting Star)

The variable and lovely darkthroat shooting star is native across a wide expanse of western North America from Alaska down to California and New Mexico. It even extends into northwestern Mexico. Different variants favor dissimilar growing conditions in the wild. Some forms thrive in moist, scrubby lowlands and wetlands while others can be found growing in seasonally arid meadows or at high elevations. Physical differences exist between plants growing in the different environments and most have been...

(Cusick's Shooting Star)

The variable and lovely darkthroat shooting star is native across a wide expanse of western North America from Alaska down to California and New Mexico. It even extends into northwestern Mexico. Different variants favor dissimilar growing conditions in the wild. Some forms thrive in moist, scrubby lowlands and wetlands while others can be found growing in seasonally arid meadows or at high elevations. Physical differences exist between plants growing in the different environments and most have been...

(Cusick's Shooting Star)

The variable and lovely darkthroat shooting star is native across a wide expanse of western North America from Alaska down to California and New Mexico. It even extends into northwestern Mexico. Different variants favor dissimilar growing conditions in the wild. Some forms thrive in moist, scrubby lowlands and wetlands while others can be found growing in seasonally arid meadows or at high elevations. Physical differences exist between plants growing in the different environments and most have been...

(Hopbush, Hopseed Bush)

Native throughout much of the tropics, this large broadleaf evergreen shrub thrives just about anywhere that winters are mild. Willowy, firm, yellow-green leaves are densely borne on upright spreading stems, often standing erect on the branches. Inconspicuous blooms in late spring and summer give rise to large colorful seed capsules which may be red, purple, pink, tan, yellow, or green. They dry to a papery texture. The cultivar 'Purpurea' has bronze or burgundy foliage.

This tough shrub...

(Hopbush, Purple Hopseed Bush)

Native throughout much of the tropics, hopbush thrives just about anywhere that winters are mild. The cultivar 'Purpurea' has bronze or burgundy foliage. The willowy, firm, often upright leaves are densely borne on ascending, branching stems. Inconspicuous blooms in late spring and summer give rise to large lobed maroon seed capsules. They dry to a papery texture.

This tough shrub does well in sun or partial shade and almost any well drained soil. It tolerates salt spray and drought. Although...

(Leopard's Bane)

This is one of those pretty perennials that you rarely see planted in American gardens. Leopard’s bane is a member of the sunflower family that produces showy golden daisies in spring, a time when such flowers are rare in the landscape. It is a hardy herbaceous perennial that originates from Europe and Central Asia where it resides in the rocky soils of forest clearings and margins.

In spring, leopard’s bane produces large golden yellow daisies that rise from tall solitary stems. The clump-forming...

(Finesse Leopard's Bane, Leopard's Bane)

This is one of those pretty perennials that you rarely see planted in American gardens. Leopard’s bane is a member of the sunflower family that produces showy golden daisies in spring, a time when such flowers are rare in the landscape. It is a hardy herbaceous perennial that originates from Europe and Central Asia where it resides in the rocky soils of forest clearings and margins.

In spring, leopard’s bane produces large golden yellow daisies that rise from tall solitary stems. The clump-forming...

(Leonardo Leopard's Bane, Leopard's Bane)

The compact, heavy-flowering 'Leonardo' is an exceptional leopard's bane for the spring border.

This is one of those pretty perennials that you rarely see planted in American gardens. Leopard’s bane is a member of the sunflower family that produces showy golden daisies in spring, a time when composites are rare in the landscape. It is a hardy herbaceous perennial that originates from Europe and Central Asia where it resides in the rocky soils of forest clearings and margins.

In spring, 'Leonardo'...

(Leopard's Bane, Little Leo Leopard's Bane)

The short and sweet leopard’s bane, ‘Little Leo’, bears semi-double golden blooms, unlike its taller, single-flowered brethren.

This is one of those pretty perennials that you rarely see planted in American gardens. Leopard’s bane is a member of the sunflower family that produces showy golden daisies in spring, a time when such flowers are rare in the landscape. The flowers rise from solitary stems from clumps of green heart-shaped leaves with toothed edges. In the summer, they may go dormant,...