(Foothills Palo Verde, Littleleaf Palo Verde, Yellow Palo Verde)

This signature plant of the Southwest North American Desert dazzles in spring when its spiny-tipped stems are engulfed with pale yellow pea-flowers. A white petal in each flower's center helps distinguish it from other species. A fine-textured, often picturesquely gnarled large shrub or small tree with yellow-green, spreading branches, foothills palo verde makes an ideal subject for night-lighting. Comprising four to eight pairs of minute leaflets, the compound grayish green leaves drop during drought...

(Sonoran Palo Verde)

A naturally upright, spreading form distinguishes this palo verde. It can produce one of the widest canopies of this group of trees. It is vulnerable to winter cold because it is native farther south than others of its kind, hailing from Mexico and Baja California deep into arid regions of South America. Its cultivation is limited to the warmest locales. This species inhabits washes and plains where there is accessible ground water, offering a useful plant for the mildest-winter, desert communities.

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(Tussock Paspalum)

A large ornamental grass, tussock paspalum forms clumps of light bluish green foliage and can send up tall wispy flower spikes twice a year (or more) in frost-free regions. This warm-season perennial bunchgrass forms thick clumps, and in fertile and moist soils will aggressively spread via underground stems called rhizomes and by seed. Thus, it can be invasive, and is considered quite noxious in Australia. Tussock paspalum is native to Uruguay, Paruguay, Brazil and Argentina.

This tall plant...

(Red Passionflower)

Red passion flower is a perennial vine native to northwestern South America. It is evergreen in frost free locations and deciduous in colder locations. Dark green, simple, oval to oblong leaves have double-toothed margins and are arranged alternately on the stem. The vines climb by tendrils produced in the leaf axils (joint between the leaves and stems) on round, angled branches covered with red hairs. Beautiful flowers appear summer through fall. The complex, fragrant, bowl-shaped flowers are composed...

(Jameson's Passionflower)

This rare and exotic coral pink passionflower is a tropical climber that thrives in frost free regions. Like all of its kind, the species is native to South America, namely the jungles of Ecuador where it is now quite scarce in the wild. This plant is often sold as Coral Seas in the nursery trade. They are generally evergreen perennials, bearing lobed leaves and are arranged alternately on the stem. The vines can become very large and climb by tendrils produced in the leaf axils (joint between the...

(Red Passionflower)

This vivid coral passionflower is a spectacular tropical climber that is proving more frost tolerant than most other similarly colored vines. Like all of its kind, this species is native to South America, where it is an evergreen perennial, bearing dark-green, lobed leaves arranged alternately on the stems. It can become very large and climb by tendrils produced in the leaf axils (joint between the leaves and stems).

The complex, intensely coral-red flowers of this species are produced singly...

(Giant Granadilla)

This spectacular, large-fruited woody vine is native to both South America and the West Indies, although its origin is debated because it was cultivated so early and may have traveled somewhat as cultures discovered its crop. In any case, this is a tropical climber that may survive colder conditions where it will die back to the ground and recover from the roots. The plants are evergreen, sprouting into long stems that root as they touch ground, with the potential to be somewhat invasive. The leaves...

(Devil's Backbone, Japanese Poinsettia)

Easily recognized by its rubbery, slightly zig-zagging stems, devil's backbone has pretty foliage and reddish flowers in summertime. A tender succulent perennial shrub that has an irritating milky sap, it is native to tropical America from Florida to northern South America.

Its light to medium green leaves are perfectly tapered ovals, slightly glossy and flank the zigzag stems to resemble a crooked backbone with ribs. Although flowering in flushes year round in warm tropical regions, it occurs...

(Japanese Poinsettia, Variegated Devil's Backbone)

Easily recognized by its rubbery, slightly zig-zagging stems, variegated devil's backbone has green and white leaves and reddish flowers in summertime. Its parent is a tender, succulent, perennial shrub that has an irritating milky sap, and is native to tropical America from Florida southward into northern South America.

This selection, ‘Variegatus,’ has medium-green, slightly glossy leaves that are perfect ovals edged in white. They flank the zigzag stems to resemble a crooked backbone with ribs....

(Florist Geranium, Geranium)

There are so many wonderful pelargoniums – thousands of hybrids and more than 200 distinct species. Most are heavily fragrant and offer showy flowers and foliage, so it is no wonder these tender perennials, or subshrubs, are some of the most widely cultivated and popular container and bedding plants.

Most Pelargonium species originate from arid or montane regions in southern Africa. Their fragrant, somewhat fleshy evergreen leaves are typically palm-shaped and deeply lobed or dissected....