(Ice Ballet Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed)

Swamp milkweed is native to pond edges and stream banks of the eastern and Midwestern United States. The cultivar ‘Ice Ballet’ bears clear white flowers. Though this perennial is a wetland plant, it is very adaptable and at home in sunny gardens.

Delightful, lightly fragrant flowers are produce summer through fall. They are born atop upright stems that hold narrow, lance-shaped leaves opposite of each other. The flowers are borne in flat clusters; each flower is complex and topped with a “crown.”...

(Orchid, Rust-red Ascocentrum)

A miniature orchid with an attractive fan of leaves, Ascocentrum miniatum is no less than stunning when its cluster of brilliant orange flowers appears in spring. And the spectacular flowers can last for months! An evergreen frost-tender orchid from Thailand, rust-red ascocentrum is an epiphyte that thrives in tropical climates. It is very similar in habit and flower to Ascocentrum garayi.

The small plant looks like a fan with fleshy, leathery roots that clasp to tree trunks...

(Asparagus Fern, Myers' Asparagus Fern)

Myers' asparagus fern is a tuberous perennial native to South Africa. The upright to arching, lime-green stems with fern-like foliage give the appearance of foxtails. Small, white flowers along the main stems occur in summer, but rarely ever yield bright red berries. Thus, this cultivar does not pose the same invasive potential in subtropical climates as the parent species.

In colder climates, Myers' asparagus fern is grown as a houseplant in bright filtered sun or in containers outdoors. In frost-free...

(Asparagus Fern, Compact Asparagus Fern, Sprenger's Asparagus Fern)

Asparagus fern is a tender evergreen perennial native to South Africa. The cultivars in the Sprengeri Group have arching stems bearing whorls of awl-shaped, leaf-like cladophylls. This cultivar is denser and shorter than most Sprenger's asparagus ferns. Small, waxy white flowers along the stems produce bright red berries in summer. These berries and seeds are fertile and readily germinate nearby the mother plants, soon to create a thicket of plants.

The compact asparagus fern likes partial sun...

(Asparagus Fern, Sprenger's Asparagus Fern)

Sprenger's asparagus fern is a tuberous perennial native to South Africa with arching, fern-like, green leaves that are small, short and narrow. Small, waxy white flowers along the green stems produce bright red berries in summer. The long stems have prickly thorns on them.

Plant Sprenger's asparagus fern in partial sun to partial shade exposures in fertile, moist, well drained garden soil. With protection from frost, it may be planted in borders or as a billowy groundcover. The pendulous habit...

(Common Asparagus Fern)

Flowers from a secret admirer, corsages and arrangements out of your cutting garden are more beautiful with the addition of the old florist's favorite, common asparagus or plumosus fern. Native to South Africa, it is an evergreen, vining perennial that is not a fern at all, but a member of the lily family. It is a popular house plant that can be grown outdoors in the frost free tropical garden.

Plume asparagus fern is native to South Africa where inhabits tough terrain. This resilient plant...

(Cast Iron Plant)

Cast iron plant, a native of China, is an evergreen perennial known for its ability to withstand deep shade. Its upright glossy, blade-like leaves are dark green or variegated. The coarse foliage produces a bold, tropical effect year-round in warm climates or as a houseplant in cold climates.

Plant cast iron plant as a groundcover in deep shade in fertile, well drained, sandy soils. Though it thrives on neglect, water and fertilize regularly in the summer growing season for spectacular results....

(Cast Iron Plant, Striped Cast Iron Plant)

Cast iron plant, a native of China, is an evergreen perennial known for its ability to withstand deep shade. Its upright glossy, blade-like leaves are dark green or variegated. The coarse foliage produces a bold, tropical effect year-round in warm climates or as a houseplant in cold climates.

Plant cast iron plant as a groundcover in deep shade in fertile, well drained, sandy soils. Though it thrives on neglect, water and fertilize regularly in the summer growing season for spectacular results....

(Cast Iron Plant, Stars and Stripes Cast Iron Plant)

Cast iron plant, a native of China, is an evergreen perennial known for its ability to withstand deep shade. Its upright glossy, blade-like leaves are dark green or variegated. The coarse foliage produces a bold, tropical effect year-round in warm climates or as a houseplant in cold climates.

Plant cast iron plant as a groundcover in deep shade in fertile, well drained, sandy soils. Though it thrives on neglect, water and fertilize regularly in the summer growing season for spectacular results....

(Cast Iron Plant, Variegated Cast Iron Plant)

Variegated cast iron plant is an evergreen perennial with upright blade-like, glossy, dark green leaves with cream-white striations. Its coarse foliage produces a bold, tropical effect year-round in warm climates or as a houseplant in cold climates.

Plant outdoors as a groundcover in deep shade in average, well drained, sandy soils or indoors in containers. Water and fertilize regularly in the summer growing season. Over-fertilization leads to diminished leaf variegation.