(Fragrant Daphne, Rebecca Daphne)

Winter daphne is an intensely perfumed plant that comes from China and Japan. Blooming in the winter with clusters of deep rose-pink flowers makes this plant a prize for the warm temperate garden. Flowers are followed by pretty red fruits that contrast against the glossed leathery dark green leaves.

Unfortunately, this shrub is short-lived and demanding in its culture. Winter daphne requires extremely well-drained but moist neutral soils, so careful watering and mulching is important. It also...

(Fragrant Daphne, Winter Daphne)

'Leucanthe' is a pleasant selection of winter daphne is an intensely perfumed shrub that comes from China and Japan. Blooming in the winter with clusters of creamy white flowers makes this plant a prize for the warm temperate garden. Flowers are followed by pretty red fruits that contrast against the glossed leathery dark green leaves.

Unfortunately, this shrub is short-lived and demanding in its culture. Winter daphne requires extremely well-drained but moist neutral soils, so careful watering...

(Daphne)

While most daphne shrubs are prized mainly for their fragrant flowers, Daphne tangutica not only flowers in profusion and over a long period, but also bears numerous red fruits. The berry production extends the ornamental interest of this broadleaf evergreen into nearly three seasons. It's native to the highland forests of southwestern and central China, including Tibet.

The yellow-green branches become purplish-red and brown on this upright but rounded plant. The leathery dull, deep...

(Burkwood Daphne)

Arising from a cross of Daphne caucasia and D. odora, the burkwood daphne is a small semi-evergreen shrub. Planted for its fragrant blooms in late spring, it features tight clusters of white flowers flushed with light pink. Burkwood daphne may also lightly rebloom late in the growing season, especially after a hot summer. Its lance-shaped leaves have a bluish tinge and are attractively arranged in whorls.

Humusy, mildly acidic and well-drained soils are important to this plant,...

(Burkwood Daphne, Carol Mackie Burkwood Daphne)

This attractive selection of burkwood daphne is a small semi-evergreen shrub, but may drop its leaves in colder areas. 'Carol Mackie' is treasured for its fragrant blooms and beautiful variegated foliage. It bears the name of its original owner, Carol Mackie, of Far Hills, New Jersey. This cultivar was then introduced into the trade by the Arnold Arboretum in 1969. It demonstrates exceptional winter cold hardiness.

In late spring, pink flowers that fade to white appear in tight clusters and may...

(Burkwood Daphne)

Although a bit finicky in its growing requirements, the fragrance of the pink flowers makes the Somerset burkwood daphne worthy of a try. This attractive selection is a small semi-evergreen shrub, but may drop its leaves in colder areas. 'Somerset' is treasured for its medium pink flower buds that open to paler pink blossoms in late spring. It may lightly rebloom late in the summer when temperatures cool off. This burkwood daphne selection has dark green lance-shaped leaves attractively arranged...

(California Pitcher Plant, Cobra Lily)

The cobra lily is one of the most intriguing carnivorous plants. Its insect-digesting, colorful, tubular leaves and pendulous burgundy flowers make it a beautiful plant kingdom oddity. Native to the infertile boglands of The Pacific Northwest, from British Columbia, Canada to northern California, this pitcher plant traps insects to digest them for trace nutrients. Often the cobra lily is found growing in areas where heavy metals exist in the soil. In much of its natural habitat it is listed as threatened.

The...

(Wheeler's Sotol)

The beautiful long, flattened, icy blue leaves of Wheeler's sotol form a magnificent rosette. This desert plant is native to Arizona and New Mexico, extending south into parts of arid northern Mexico. Its pointed, ribbon like leaves are edged with small curved teeth, creating a formidable deterrent to browsing wildlife. As it matures, the rosette develops a dense trunk-like base.

This annual bloomer sends up very tall flower spikes from its center topped with loads of small flowers that cover...

(Thornapple)

This large bushy herbaceous perennial (or annual) from the American West is best in early morning when its flowers stand open to the dawn sky. It is found in dry washes, rocky hillsides and waste places from sea level to middle elevations in northern Mexico and the United States Plains and Southwest

This heat-lover relies on a deep tap root to reach moisture trapped beneath dry soil. Its downy, oval, dark green or gray-green leaves have a fetid scent. Throughout summer, large, fragrant, white...

(Carrot, Garden Carrot, Queen Anne's Lace)

In the wild it may be called Queen Anne's lace or wild carrot, but as a cultivated plant Daucus carota is simply referred to as the garden carrot.

The cultivated carrot is a hardy, herbaceous, biennial of European and Asian origin. It is grown for its crisp, sweet, tasty tap roots. Often called Daucus carota ssp. sativus, it is a biennial but rarely gets the chance to flower because its roots are harvested in the first season. If allowed to flower, it has large, pretty,...