(Lily-of-the-Incas)

Parrot lily is a tender perennial that grows from tuberous roots. It is native to Brazil. Clumps of foliage appear in spring and slowly elongate to upright, leafy, pink-spotted stems. Clusters of tubular flowers bloom at the ends of the stems in loose spheres. Greenish blooms are heavily overlaid with red and marked with dark purple to brown spots and streaks, a unique color combination! Alstroemeria blooms in the cool of spring and may re-bloom in autumn. Alstromeria psittacina is one of...

(Lily-of-the-Incas, Variegated Lily-of-the-Incas)

Variegated parrot lily is a tender perennial that grows from tuberous roots. It is native to Brazil. Clumps of white-edged foliage appear in spring and slowly elongate to upright, leafy, pink-spotted stems. Clusters of tubular flowers bloom at the ends of the stems in loose spheres. Greenish blooms are heavily overlaid with red and marked with dark purple to brown spots and streaks, a unique color combination! Alstroemeria blooms in the cool of spring and may re-bloom in autumn. Alstromeria psittacina...

(Lily-of-the-Incas)

The Genus Alstroemeria is made up of 50 to 60 species of flowering herbaceous perennials native to South America. The genus is named for the Swedish baron Clas Alströmer who first collected seeds in South America around 1750. Today Lily-of-the-Incas hybrids and cultivars are most popular with florists for use in arrangements.

Alstroemeria are clump-forming and upright. They grow from fleshy rhizomatous crowns that spread laterally over time. They’ve numerous erect leafy...

(Partytime Alternanthera, Thread Alternanthera)

The colorful foliage of ‘Party Time’ is especially eye catching. Its green, wavy leaves have hot pink streaks and blotches. Some leaves are entirely pink and others entirely green. It is a lovely garden compliment to colorful tropicals or more subdued bedding plants.

Joseph’s Coat is a low-growing tropical perennial valued for its bushy habit and glossy, colorful leaves. It is native from Mexico to Argentina where it naturally inhabits open forests with ample precipitation. The variable leaves...

(Mountain Madwort)

Mountain madwort is native to the Mediterranean. It is a mound forming perennial that produces fragrant clusters of yellow flowers borne above gray-green hairy foliage.

Mountain Madwort thrives best in dry rocky soil and has a preference to full sun, although it will tolerate light shade. Add vibrancy to the facade of stone walls by planting mountain madwortin empty crevices or plant towards the front of dry borders. Interesting addition to the edge of a large alpine trough container. Cultivars...

(Mountain Gold Madwort, Mountain Madwort)

Mountain madwort is native to the Mediterranean. It is a mound forming perennial that produces fragrant yellow flowers borne in clusters above gray-green hairy foliage. Mountain Gold is one cultivar that is worth its weight, since it covers itself entirely with yellow flowers that its foliage becomes hardly visible.

Mountain Gold madwort thrives best in dry rocky soil and has a preference to full sun, although it will tolerate light shade. Add vibrancy to the facade of stone walls by planting...

(Love-Lies-Bleeding)

Though grown in American gardens primarily for its curious tail-like clusters of colorful flowers, this large annual has long been a staple grain in the northern Andes, where it originated. Once more popular than corn, amaranth grain and greens fed the Incas for thousands of years, and are still a vital crop for peoples of the Andes. Two other species of amaranth are important grain (and ornamental) plants: Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus.

This fast-growing,...

(Mexican Grain Amaranthus, Prince's Feather, Purple Amaranthus)

Nothing beats this tough, heat-loving annual for big, bold summer bedding displays. This Central American native has been grown since ancient times for its grain and greens, as have two other amaranths: Amaranthus hypochondriacus and A. caudatus. Purple amaranth was central to the Aztec culture, playing an important role in many of its religious rituals. Most contemporary gardeners cultivate it purely for its showy flower spikes, though it is increasingly grown...

(Prince's Feather, Prince-of-Wales-Feather)

This large, colorful annual is probably a naturally occurring hybrid originating in Central Amercica. It has been grown since ancient times for its grain and greens, as have two other amaranths: Amaranthus cruentus and A. caudatus. This amaranth was widely cultivated and revered by the Aztecs, playing a central role in their diet and in many of their religious rituals. Most contemporary gardeners cultivate it purely for its showy flower spikes, although it is increasingly...

(Joseph's Coat)

Grown in flower gardens for its dazzling plumage, this large annual is an important leaf vegetable in tropical Asia, where it is native.

This fast-growing, heat-loving plant bears large, elliptic or oval leaves that are often brilliantly hued when young, forming colorful ruffs atop tall, erect stems. The new leaves may be yellow, red, purple, bronze, ivory, or combinations thereof. The leaves gradually age to medium or dark green. In tropical Asia, where this plant is grown for the flavor rather...