(Bearded Grasspink, Grasspink)

Bearded grasspink produces a loose cluster of white, pink or rosy-violet blossoms in late winter to spring. The orchid blooms lack fragrance but are delicate and beautiful. Native to wetlands and bogs across the American southeastern coastal plain, from eastern North Carolina to Louisiana and central Florida, this hardy terrestrial orchid grows from an elongated corm (bulb-like root).

The slender, grass-like leaves of bearded grasspink are bright medium green. Unlike other grasspinks, the leaves...

(Grasspink, Manyflower Grasspink)

Heavily perfumed, sometimes with a pungent scent, the manyflower grasspink bears rose-magenta or purplish-rose blossoms in springtime. This wildflower is native to the seasonally moist-to-dry sandy soils across the American southeastern coastal plain. It is a rare orchid in the wild, largely due to pine flatwood habitat destruction. The densest populations can be found in Central Florida.

Manyflower grasspink grows from an elongated corm (bulb-like root) that forks over time. Its slender, grass-like...

(Grasspink, Oklahoma Grasspink)

The Oklahoma grasspink bears stalks of lightly scented rose-pink blossoms from spring to midsummer, depending on geography. This herbaceous perennial wildflower is a true prairie forb that grows from an elongated corm (bulb-like root). In the wild it can be found growing in pine savannas, acid sandy to loamy prairies, open oak forests and bog edges. Very similar in physical characteristics to the bearded grasspink (Calopogon barbatus), which is usually non-fragrant, the Oklahoma grasspink...

(Grasspink, Pale Grasspink)

Blooming in spring or summer, depending on geography, pale grasspink is late-flowering compared to most other grasspinks. Its widely spaced, pale pink to white flowers are produced on a larger spike than most other grasspinks. This orchid is native to the southeastern coastal plain, from North Carolina to Louisiana, where it thrives in moist, acid soils. Like other grasspinks, it grows from an elongated corm (bulb-like root).

The slender, grass-like leaves of this orchid are parallel-veined...

(Cowslip, Golden Marsh Marigold, Kingcup)

Brightening the streambanks or bogs in midspring with showy yellow buttercup flowers, marsh marigold is a lovely woodland wildflower. A deciduous, mounding aquatic perennial, it is native to the northern half of North America from Alaska to Newfoundland south to Iowa and North Carolina.

The thick, spreading, hollow stems carry lush green heart-shaped leaves with dull jagged teeth. In mid- to late spring, the branching stems bear small loose clusters of bright yellow flowers that are waxy. Shaped...

(Sweetshrub)

White, magnolia-like blossoms with yellow and violet make Venus sweetshrub a lovely plant for the mixed border. A spreading shrub that is deciduous, this hybrid was first grown from seed at North Carolina State University research facility in Fletcher in 2001, the result of complex crosses of three species of sweetshrubs.

The leaves are oblong ovals, glossy deep green in color. In late spring to midsummer, depending on warmth of the climate, small, plump, light green flower buds arise and open...

(Chinese Sweetshrub)

Lustrous, glossy green leaves and white blossoms with flecks of maroon make Chinese sweetshrub a lovely plant for the mixed border. A spreading shrub that is deciduous, it is native to moist mountain streambanks in eastern China. The leaves are oblong ovals, glossy mid- to dark green in color and with irregular edges. In spring or summer, depending on warmth of the climate, small, plump, wide strap-like petaled flowers arise from stem tips. They are white to palest pink in color, with inner petals...

(Sweetshrub)

Fragrant with scents of fruit and spice, the unusual flowers of Carolina allspice make this shrub an unusual specimen for the garden. A rounded and spreading deciduous shrub, it is native to the extreme southeastern United States, from Virginia to Florida.

Its leaves are oval with a gracefully and elegantly pointed tip, and satiny-green to dark-green with a lighter gray-green underside. As the leaves begin to emerge in spring, the flowers appear on short stems. They open a rich, deep brownish-red...

(Athens Sweetshrub, Sweetshrub)

Late spring's fruit-and spice-scented, greenish yellow flowers makes 'Athens' a terrific selection of Carolina allspice for the garden. A rounded and spreading deciduous shrub, it is native to the extreme southeastern United States, from Virginia to Florida. Its foliage is pretty, oval with a gracefully and elegantly pointed tip, and semi-glossy green to dark green with a lighter gray-green underside. As the leaves begin to emerge in spring, the flowers appear on short stems. They open a sheepishly...

(Edith Wilder Sweetshrub, Sweetshrub)

Fragrant with scents of fruit and spice, the unusual flowers and more rounded leaves of the Edith Wilder Carolina allspice make this shrub an unusual specimen for the garden. A rounded and slightly taller deciduous shrub than usual, it is native to the extreme southeastern United States, from Virginia to Florida.

Its leaves are rounded ovals with a gracefully and elegantly pointed tip, and satiny-green to dark-green with a lighter gray-green underside. As the leaves begin to emerge in spring,...