(Nodding Catchfly)

Charming and whimsical with its bi-colored flowers, ‘Celina’ is a cultivar of Nodding catchfly and very showy plant in summer. The parent species is an annual native to the Mediterranean, short in stature and slightly cascading or spreading.

The leaves of ‘Celina’ are mid-green, hairy and oval-shaped. It is a bushy plant and sends up short stems in late spring to late summer, bearing loose clusters of deep rosy-pink blossoms with a light pink center. The flowers often hang downward and reveals...

(Nodding Catchfly)

Charming and whimsical with its dark fuchsia-pink flowers, ‘Triumph’ nodding catchfly makes a showy addition to summer gardens. The parent species, an annual native to the Mediterranean, is short in stature and may slightly cascade or spread as it grows.

The leaves of ‘Triumph’ are mid-green, hairy and oval. This bushy plant sends up short stems in late spring to late summer bearing loose clusters of deep fuchsia-pink blossoms. The flowers often hang downward and reveal striped and toothed calyces,...

(Sea Campion)

Unassuming soft, light gray green foliage of the sea campion is a pleasant backdrop to the wispy stems with white flowers in summertime. This semi-evergreen mounding perennial that is low and sprawling is native to the coastal regions of northern and western Europe. It has a deep root system that sustains the plant in the sandy, rocky landscape.

Its leaves are fleshy and oval with minute hairs, making it a light green with grayish hues. In summer, wiry stems that are either held upright or trailing...

(Druett's Variegated Silene, Sea Campion)

The creamy light-yellow and gray- green leaves ‘Druett's Variegated’ sea campion are eye-catching in their own right and make an elegant contrast to its white flowers. The parent species is a semi-evergreen, low, sprawling perennial native to the coastal regions of northern and western Europe. It has a deep root system that sustains the plant in sandy, rocky landscapes.

The leaves of ‘Druett’s Variegated’ are gray-green in the center with creamy light yellow edges. They are fleshy, oval and covered...

(Sea Campion)

Unassuming soft, light gray green foliage of the sea campion is a pleasant backdrop to the wispy stems with white flowers in summertime. This semi-evergreen mounding perennial that is low and sprawling is native to the coastal regions of northern and western Europe. It has a deep root system that sustains the plant in the sandy, rocky landscape.

Its leaves are fleshy and oval with minute hairs, making it a light green with grayish hues. In summer, wiry stems that are either held upright or trailing...

(Alpine Blue-eyed Grass)

Though it resembles a grass with its clump of strappy leaves, alpine blue-eyed grass is actually related to irises, a link visible in its flowers. An unassuming herbaceous perennial, it is native to the cool-summer meadows and moist soils of northern North America from the Canadian and American Rocky Mountains eastward to the Great Lakes and Newfoundland.

The strap-like, thin leaves are green and rather short, held in a small cluster. In midsummer, slightly taller stems reach above the leaves...

(Climbing Nightshade, Nightshade)

Though attractive, deadly nightshade is a weedy, perennial vine that is rarely planted purposefully. It is native to Eurasia but has become naturalized across much of North America. In the wild, it favors thickets, open woods and is often found climbing fences because the seeds are passed through bird droppings.

This clambering vine is borne from a taproot that tends to spread by rhizomes. Its long, vining stems are smooth, often purple and climb by twining around the stems and branches of...

(Eggplant)

Eggplant is an easy, warm-season vegetable that’s well worth the effort. Though perennial in its native Africa and Asia, most gardeners grow it as an annual vegetable crop. A healthy, mature plant has large, fuzzy, green leaves and an upright, bushy habit. Fruits are generally ready to harvest in 90 to 120 days after sowing from seed, or only 50 to 70 days when planted outdoors from robust seedlings.

The felty green leaves of eggplant sometimes have a purplish hue and appear on bushy, upright...

(Applegreen Eggplant, Eggplant)

Lots of mile, egg-shaped, light green fruits are produced on 'Applegreen' in the heat of summer. A very early-producing cultivar, it was developed by Elwyn Meader in 1964. The glossy fruits have a non-acidic flavor and tender white flesh. Peeling the thin, non-bitter skin isn't necessary before cooking. The upright bushy plant matures to waist high. Harvest is most plentiful from summer to fall, until plants are killed by light frost. Fruit is around 5 inches (12 centimeters)in diameter. The harvest...

(Black Beauty Eggplant, Eggplant)

Introduced over 100 years ago, the venerable ‘Black Beauty’ stands out for its large, glossy fruits, vigorous growth, and hefty crops. Over the growing season, one plant can yield up to fifteen big, oval, purple-black fruits weighing as much as 3 pounds (1.4 kg) each. The generous size and delicious flavor of this eggplant make it a favorite for slicing and frying, dips, and for the traditional Italian dish, eggplant parmigiana. Plants take around 80 days to harvest fruits if starting with robust...