(Roman Chamomile)

This classic herb is both easy to grow and pretty in the summer garden. Roman chamomile is a mat-forming perennial that originates from Western Europe. Throughout the growing season it has fine, ferny, sweetly aromatic green leaves and in summer produces small white daisies with yellow centers. These draw bees and butterflies and may be harvested and dried for chamomile tea. Chamomile prefers full sun and average garden soil with good drainage. It's ideal for the herb garden and is also well placed...

(European Fan Palm, Mediterranean Fan Palm)

European fan palm has large, rounded, palmate leaves that are deeply divided and sit atop long, sharply toothed petioles. Foliage is either green or blue-green on top and has silver-green undersides. Its trunk(s) is clothed in a sheath of fibers and old leaf bases. In summer, these palms bear bright yellow flowers that rise from short stalks among the leaves. These are followed by ovoid brown to yellow fruit.

European fan palm requires well drained soils and can tolerate partial shade, but prefers...

(Matted Sandmat, Prostrate Spurge)

Practically every gardener has come across this warm-season, summer weed. Prostrate spurge forms nearly flat, spreading mats of small, deep green or green and burgundy-blotched leaves that can be found in sunny beds and pavement crevices across the whole of the United States, southern Canada and northern Mexico. It is an annual weed that produces loads and loads of seeds, so it's essential to pull plants as soon as they pop up in the garden.

Dense, spreading mats of small, oval leaves supported...

(Geraldton Waxflower)

Needle-thin leaves on tall, thin stems contrast in texture and color with Geraldton waxflower’s lush clusters of light-pink flowers. An open, fine-textured evergreen shrub for warm climates, it is native to the Shark Bay region of extreme western Australia. The leaves are short, thin, and bright-green to dark-green, depending on the season. Crush a leaf and a pleasant scent of lemon escapes. The branches are smooth and grayish-brown, but on older plants become shaggy. Young twigs can be slightly...

(Indian Woodoats, Northern Sea Oats)

Northern sea oats is an upright growing ornamental grass native to the eastern United States and northern Mexico. Its gracefully, arching stems bear spikes in the late summer to early autumn that resemble flattened oat seedheads. The bamboo-like leaves turn a golden-tan in the winter and the seedheads remain on throughout most of the winter adding to the garden interest.

Plant northern sea oats in full sun in any fertile soil that is well-drained. It performs better with moist soil, but can...

(Northern Sea Oats)

Northern sea oats is an upright growing ornamental grass native to the eastern United States and northern Mexico. Its gracefully, arching stems bear spikes in the late summer to early autumn that resemble flattened oat seedheads. The bamboo-like leaves turn a golden-tan in the winter and the seedheads remain on throughout most of the winter adding to the garden interest.

Plant northern sea oats in full sun in any fertile soil that is well-drained. It performs better with moist soil, but can...

(Longleaf Woodoats, Southern Woodoats)

Longleaf woodoats is a clumping perennial grass that forms tufted flowers along tall, wiry stems. Native to the southeastern United States, it forms a fountain of upright, medium-green, narrow leaves. In summer, thin, tall stems arise from the clump, with sparse clusters of flower tufts, with tiny white flowers emerging from the green buds.

Longleaf woodoats will perform superbly in a fertile, moist garden soil that isn't overly alkaline in pH. It will grow well in full sun if summers are not...

(Desert Fern, Lipfern, Rock Fern)

Imagine a drought-tolerant fern -- not overly particular to soil type -- that's native to a subtropical habitat with dry winters and rainy summers. This unusual plant exists and is known as the rock or desert fern. It grows from a clumping rhizome and produces attractive evergreen fronds.

(Lace Lipfern, Lipfern)

During a wilderness hike west of the Continental Divide in the American Pacific Northwest, you'll encounter a frilly, lacy-foliage fern growing on and among igneous rocks on slopes. The lace lipfern's narrow, upright fronds grow from a short, clumping rhizome. The native range extends from central California and Nevada northward to the border with British Columbia, Canada. High elevations protect this fern from excessive summertime heat and drought stresses.

The lace lipfern produces upright,...

(Lyon's Turtlehead, Pink Turtlehead)

Native to regions along the Appalachian Mountains, which extend from the southeastern to northeastern United States, Lyon’s turtlehead is an upright perennial grown for its stems topped with clusters of two-lipped, tubular, rose or purple-pink flowers. Wild populations can be found growing in rich, moist soils in open forests and along stream banks.

Deep green, opposite, lance-shaped leaves line the tall stems of this pleasing woodland native. In late summer and autumn the turtle head-like...