(Aromatic Aster)

Noted for its compact, spreading habit, 'October Skies' is a wonderfully landscape-friendly aromatic aster that's as tough as it is pretty. Its many lavender-blue daisies have dusty yellow centers and fine petals. Their cool color contrasts beautifully with yellow-flowered fall composites. Flowering typically begins in mid-fall and continues for up to three or four weeks.

This North American native is among the best perennials for providing bold masses of late-season color. Clouds of violet...

(Aromatic Aster)

Clouds of lavender-blue flowers cover this bushy, relatively compact aromatic aster from early to mid-autumn. This favorite cultivar was bred at Holbrook Farm Nursery, in Fletcher, North Carolina; an establishment that has since closed.

This North American native aster is among the best perennials for providing bold masses of late-season color. Lots of cool daisies with fine petals and yellow centers appear in late summer and fall on stout, many-branched stems. A single plant can have a dozen...

(Tatarian Aster)

The tall, loose floral clusters of this hardy perennial aster are bold and striking.

Tatarian aster is a showy late season bloomer that originates from Siberia, so it is particularly cold hardy. The upright, clump-forming plant has rounded dark green leaves that are remarkably fragrant when crushed. In late summer to fall it produces upright, leafy stems from which rise broad, loose, terminal clusters of blue daisies. Each flower has violet or purple rays and a yellow center. These are irresistible...

(Chinese Astilbe, Chinese False Spirea, Milk and Honey False Spirea)

The Chinese astilbe 'Milk and Honey' is a woodland perennial grown for its tall stems topped by large plume-like panicles (clusters) of tiny flowers. This summer-blooming delight is creamy white when it first opens and ages to pale pink. Unlike other Chinese astilbe, it often blooms into late summer and tolerates more drought and sun than most. The soft flowers appear on sturdy slender stems above a clump of deep green ferny leaves that are lightly marbled with silver when they first emerge.

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(Ganges Primrose)

Successful in many warm soils, the spreading foliage of Ganges primrose is a lovely backdrop for the white or yellow blossoms that flush purple with maturity. An exact nativity is uncertain, but believed to hail from eastern Africa, and India eastward into Malaysia. This is a tender perennial or subshrub that sprawls out and is reminiscent of a large petunia plant. It is usually regarded as a pretty weed in the tropics (in lawns), often invasive along the beaches.

The medium green leaves are...

(Ganges Primrose, Variegated Primrose)

Successful in many warm soils, the spreading green and yellow foliage of variegated Ganges primrose is a lovely backdrop for the white or yellow blossoms that flush purple with maturity. An exact nativity is uncertain, but believed to hail from eastern Africa, and India eastward into Malaysia. This is a tender perennial or subshrub that sprawls out and is reminiscent of a large petunia plant. It is usually regarded as a pretty weed in the tropics (in lawns), often invasive along the beaches.

The...

(Carambola, Starfruit)

Carambola, also known as starfruit, is a tropical semi-evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka, Malaysia and southeastern Asia. It is a medium sized, slow growing, ackwardly-branching tree that puts forth leaf stalks with alternating green, finely haired leaves. Its fragrant pink-violet flowers are borne in small clusters on reddish stalks in spring and summer. Orange-yellow oblong, star-shaped fruits with waxy skin develop throughout the warm months and may continue into winter. Trees typically need...

(Brahmi, Herb-of-Grace, Water Hyssop)

This low-growing, spreading aquatic perennial is a common water weed found along stream margins, pond edges and wet sands of the southern United States and adjacent Mexico. Its small, succulent leaves create a mat of foliage that becomes dotted with small, pale flowers. It creates attractive cover for waterway margins and makes a fine container specimen.

The small leaves of water hyssop are oval, lustrous and fleshy. From spring to fall, lots of small, single flowers are produced along the...

(Desert Marigold)

Desert marigold is a tender, perennial wildflower that offers a brilliant show for a short time in spring. It is native to the low deserts of southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. There it’s found in infertile, sandy or gravelly soils. It is visible in large populations for weeks in spring when new plants sprout from seeds. Only in the warmest regions do plants become perennial as they do not stand the slightest frost. Even there most fail to survive extreme summer heat and drought. However, in...

(Beechey's Bamboo, Clumping Bamboo)

A traditional source of tender, edible bamboo shoots in southern China, Beechey's bamboo is a clumping bamboo native to southernmost China and Hong Kong. It was first collected in 1827 in Macao, by a naturalist on a ship captained by F. W. Beechey. This tree-like grass quickly grows into a dense clump with tall, arching culms that create a fountain-like silhouette.

All bamboos are grasses with woody-type stems called culms which are divided into sections. Beechey's bamboo has wrist-wide, thick...