(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...

(Bird's Nest Fern)

This tender evergreen fern from the Old World tropics is a classic houseplant. In its native habitat it is usually epiphytic, growing in trees. In cultivation, however, it also takes well to containers or garden beds. The long linear simple leaves are glossy-green with dark midribs and pointed, often furled tips. The leaves form circular rosettes which accumulate organic debris in their hair-lined centers. The spores are borne in rib-like rows on the underside of the leaf. Numerous cultivars and...

(Bishop's Cap, Star Cactus)

Bishop’s cap is an ideal windowsill cactus because it is thankfully spineless or nearly so. This tiny, rock hard gem of a plant does not demand high intensity light and will thrive in any south facing exposure as a house plant. It is native to the Chihuahuan Desert of central Mexico, but has been in cultivation so long there are numerous horticultural varieties. What makes it so unique is that each plant is a perfect five pointed star divided into as many identical segments. Bishop’s cap protects...

(Monk's Hood, Star Cactus)

Monk’s hood is a beautiful windowsill cactus with unique coloring and strong geometric form. This cactus does not demand high intensity light and will thrive in any south facing exposure as a house plant. It is native to the deserts of central Mexico in gravelly dry washes or nooks and crannies in cliff faces. Each plant is technically a stem divided into an average of 8 segments that may twist somewhat as plants age. Widely spaced tubercles line the segment ridges, each one producing several short,...

(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...

(Carolina Mosquito Fern)

Native to much of the eastern half of North America, Carolina mosquito fern is a tiny, feather aquatic fern that floats on the surface of still ponds and lake edges. Populations also extend down into Mexico and Central America. Its tiny fronds are bright green, often with a reddish or purplish-red hue. It's hard to believe this aquatic, floating plant is in fact a miniscule fern. It is free-floating and may be adapted to fresh or brackish water.

Carolina mosquito fern thrives in pools with full...