(White Fir)

White fir is a pyramidal evergreen tree native to the western United States. The cultivar 'Violacea' has particularly beautiful coloration with intense silvery-blue needles that appear silvery white when new. Their cones are oblong and held upright on mature branches. White fir has a fine symmetrical growth habit and is an ideal native for year round interest. These trees prefer full sun, slightly acidic, well-drained soil and are more tolerant of heat, drought and pollution than other firs. In...

(Japanese Fir, Momi Fir)

The wood of the momi fir is light colored and traditionally used to make coffins in its native Japan. A tall-growing evergreen, momi fir grows in Japan's highlands intermixed with other conifers. This tree grows slowly in its youth, retaining a dense, upright pyramid shape. When mature, the straight trunk becomes massive and the scattered horizontal branches look somewhat like the silhouette of an old white pine.

The emerald green needles are flattened and are alternating on the twigs in two...

(Fraser Fir)

Fraser fir is a fragrant evergreen tree native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States, from Virginia down to Georgia. Native populations grow at both high and low elevations along the mountainside. They exist in nearly pure stands at high elevations but are mixed with other conifers and hard woods at mid to lower elevations. Young trees are dense and pyramidal, which is why they are favored as Christmas trees. In fact, Frasier is only rivaled in popularity by balsam fir. Mature...

(Giant Fir, Grand Fir)

This species is appropriately called the giant or grand fir because it's one of the tallest growing firs in the world, usually in the 200- to 300-foot (70 to 100 m) range. This evergreen is very fast growing, attaining a narrow column-like or spire-like silhouette with massive trunk. Native to the central Pacific coast of North America, the giant fir grows in British Columbia inland to the Idaho-Montana mountains and southward to northern California, where it's known along the coast. Some botanists...

(Marie's Fir)

Look through the evergreen boughs of Marie's fir to see the ghostly white bark that often is blushed with purple hues. This conifer is a subalpine species native to the mid- and high elevations of the central Japanese island of Honshu. Although a pyramid when young, Marie's fir becomes more oval or flat-topped in silhouette at maturity. The bark is pale gray or brown with a powdery covering known as bloom, occasionally touched with hints of purple. Large, old trees display the ghostly white bole.

Young...

(Bank Catclaw, Trailing Acacia)

This groundcover acacia has proven its value time and again as a first class slope coverage for hot dry banks. In the western United States it is commonly planted in tough locations adjacent to commercial sites and freeways.

Trailing acacia is a native of eastern Australia and is the most widely used prostrate species around the world. Plants bloom in spring with pea-sized yellow puff balls that are concentrated at the base of the leaves along the stems. Its leaves are blue-green, long and densely...

(Trailing Acacia)

Truly uniform growth make this low-growing, uniform clone far more reliable than standard Acacia redolens. In the western United States it is commonly planted in tough locations adjacent to commercial sites and freeways.

Trailing acacia is a native of eastern Australia and is the most widely used prostrate species around the world. Plants bloom in spring with pea-sized yellow puff balls that are concentrated at the base of the leaves along the stems. Its leaves are blue-green, long and...

(Bear's Breeches, Summer Beauty Bear's Breeches)

The tall and stately Acanthus ‘Summer Beauty’ is a hybrid bear’s breeches that is tolerant of summer heat, if given regular moisture. Huge, glossy, semi-evergreen, lobed leaves with spines on the margins form a large, mounded rosette. Its tall flower stalks appear in late spring through midsummer with an abundance of widely-spaced, snapdragon-like blooms that are white with purple calyces (outer flower cover). The blooms are highly attractive to bees.

Acanthus prefers full to partial...

(Bank Ursine, Bear's Breeches, Oyster Plant)

This interesting Old World perennial has a coarse upright habit that adds texture to sunny gardens. Bear's breeches is quite hardy and summer-blooming. It is native to regions in southwestern Europe, though it has been in cultivation for a long time.

The long, sharply lobed, coarse leaves of bear’s breeches are deep green and form large, showy rosettes. In summer, tall, upright spikes of two-lipped, tubular maroon and white flowers are produced. Once spent, the old blooms should be cut back to...

(Bank Ursine, Bear's Breeches, Hollard's Gold Bear's Breeches)

This interesting Old World perennial has a coarse upright habit that adds texture to sunny gardens. Bear's breeches is quite hardy and summer-blooming. It is native to regions in southwestern Europe, though it has been in cultivation for a long time.

The long, sharply lobed, coarse leaves of bear’s breeches are deep green and form large, showy rosettes. In summer, tall, upright spikes of two-lipped, tubular maroon and white flowers are produced. Once spent, the old blooms should be cut back to...