(Fort McNair Horsechestnut, Red Horsechesnut)

Rose red horsechestnut is a hybrid between the European horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and the red horsechestnut (Aesculus pavia). It is a medium to large, spreading deciduous tree with an oval to round crown and dark green, glossy, palmate leaves with five to seven leaflets, which produce little fall color. It is best known for its beautiful panicles bright rose-red flowers that appear from late spring to early summer. These are followed by large round, spiny capsules that contain two to...

(Black Adder Giant Hyssop, Giant Hyssop)

The hybrid hyssop ‘Black Adder’ is a long-blooming plant that attracts plentiful butterflies and bees to the garden. The tall, bushy, herbaceous perennial produces long spikes of dark purple flower buds that open to a powdery violet-blue. It begins blooming in the heat of midsummer and will continue up until frost if regularly deadheaded. Like most members of the mint family, it has fragrant foliage, which smells of anise when crushed.

Full sun is required for best flowering and good performance....

(Anise Hyssop, Blue Fortune Giant Hyssop, Blue Hyssop)

Blue fortune hyssop is a popular hardy perennial that is easy to grow and moderately drought tolerant. This strongly aromatic member of the mint family has an upright habit and downy, medium green, licorice-scented leaves. From mid to late summer, tall stems topped with dense spikes of lavender-blue flowers appear. Highly attractive to bees and butterflies, this plant will continue blooming into fall if deadheaded. Blue fortune hyssop is tolerant of poor soils and an excellent choice for sunny mixed...

(Anise Hyssop, Blue Giant Hyssop)

Blue giant hyssop is a strongly aromatic, drought tolerant, erect perennial native throughout the northern United States and Canada. This member of the mint family has downy, medium green, licorice-scented leaves that appear on long stems topped with spikes of blue-purple flowers that appear from from midsummer to autumn. Highly attractive to bees and butterflies, this plant will continue blooming if deadheaded. The fuzzy leaves that release the licorice aroma tend to dissuade browsing damage from...

(Anise Hyssop, Blue Giant Hyssop, Golden Jubilee Blue Giant Hyssop)

Winner of the coveted Fleuroselect Award, 'Golden Jubilee' is a showy, seed-propagated selection of anise hyssop, an upright herbaceous perennial native to North America. This member of the mint family has eye-catching, licorice-scented leaves that are golden chartreuse maturing to citron-green. Its bluish-purple flower spikes appear from midsummer to early autumn. Its habit is more compact than typical anise hyssop.

This low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plant likes well drained soil and full...

(Rock Anise Hyssop, Sunset Hyssop, Threadleaf Hyssop)

Known for its extreme drought tolerance and outstanding garden performance, sunset hyssop is a strongly aromatic, bushy short-lived perennial native to southern Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico. This member of the mint family has fine, fragrant, gray-green leaves. In mid to late summer plants become covered with loose spikes of tubular orange flowers with dusty mauve to lavender bases.

Everblooming and tolerant of poor soils, sunset hyssop requires little deadheading and is highly attractive...

(Purple Giant Hyssop)

A member of the mint family, this large, aromatic, bushy perennial is native to eastern and central North America. Feathery, light-purple flower spikes appear from summer to early autumn above large, anise-scented leaves.

This low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plant likes well drained soil and at least partial sun. It is an excellent choice for sunny mixed borders, wildflower plantings, and hummingbird gardens.

(Liquorice Blue Giant Hyssop, Purple Giant Hyssop)

Agastache scrophulariifolia is a large, aromatic, bushy perennial native to eastern and central North America. Its cultivar 'Liquorice Blue' bears fuzzy blue flower spikes from late summer to early autumn above large, anise-scented leaves.

This low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plant likes well drained soil and at least partial sun. It is an excellent choice for sunny mixed borders, wildflower plantings, and hummingbird gardens.

(Harvard Agave, Harvard's Century Plant)

The dense blue-green rosettes of Harvard's century plant are dramatic and structurally interesting in the landscape. This all-American native naturally exists in the David Mountains located in western Texas. It is an unusually hardy species that can withstand periods of freezing as long as growing conditions remain dry, particularly at the root zone.

The blue-green fleshy leaves of this century plant are large, cupped and heavily spined along the margins. The sharp black leaf tips are particularly...

(Lechuguilla, Shin Dagger)

Native all the way to central Canada (as well as to much of the rest of central and western North America), this prickly pear dispels the myth that cacti are only for warm climates. It is a ground-hugging, mat-forming species bearing small, cylindrical or flattened, spiny pads that are specially adapted to survive beneath snow or dead prairie grass. Although they appear to be succulent leaves, the pads are in fact swollen stem segments (but are treated as leaves in the following description of characteristics)....