Bleeding Heart Vine, Clerodendrum thomsoniae

Picture a plant from tropical west Africa that has clusters of inflated white flowers with a red “bleeding heart” emerging from the center. Maybe you’d like to try growing this twining evergreen shrub indoors if you have plenty of light. You can learn more about exotic Clerodendrum thomsoniae in this article…

Tachinid Flies

Think that buzzing hairy fly is just another pesky housefly? Check again, because there are lots of beneficial flies that resemble large houseflies, but you want to keep them around, working at pest control for you. Learn more about tachinid flies in this article…

Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium

Little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, is a native ornamental grass featuring blue green summer foliage and reddish to purple fall color. This article tells how to grow this adaptable grass in your landscape.

Allium senescens ssp. glaucum

Asters, mums and pansies are the standard flowers for fall. But there are other perennials that are just getting going in the fall, too. The late-flowering Allium senescens var. glaucum offers purple-pink flowers at this time of year, and a fun display of swirled blue-green foliage the rest of the growing season. Read more about this ornamental onion in this article…

Ornamental Cabbage and Kale, Brassica oleracea

It might feel too warm right now to think about fall decorations, but now is the time to plan for colorful displays this autumn if you want to use cabbage in the mix – or at least the ornamental version of this crop. To learn more about colorful ornamental kale and cabbage, read this article…

Honeywort, Cerinthe major

Are you familiar with Cerinthe major, an herbaceous plant from the meadows and grassy plains of southern Italy and Greece? To learn more about this unusual flower grown as an annual in our climate, read this article…

Blackberry Lily, Iris domestics (Belamcanda chinensis)

Belamcanda chinensis features flowers that resemble an exotic lily, leaves like an iris, and seed clusters that look like a blackberry. It goes by several different names. For a more extensive explanation of this plant and its new name, read this article.

Hakone Grass, Hakonechloa macra

There are few grasses that perform well in the shade that also have ornamental value. One of the best is Hakone grass or Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra). Learn about this growing this perennial grass in this article..

Yellow Corydalis, Corydalis lutea

Corydalis lutea is a small plant that forms neat mounds of finely cut delicate-looking light green to blue-green foliage and bright yellow flowers.  Read more about this pretty perennial, sometimes called yellow corydalis, in this article.

Nasturtium, Tropaeolum species

Nasturtiums are easy-to-grow, warm-season annual flowers with brightly colored flowers that make welcome additions the sunny garden. Read more about various nasturtiums available in this article.

Iris pallida

Iris are blooming (or will be soon), but for most the flowers are the only time we notice the plants. Iris pallida, however, is more known for its attractive foliage than the pale blue flowers. Find out more about this pretty herbaceous perennial plant by reading this article…

Velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti

Weeds are an unfortunate part of every garden. Velvetleaf is one common species that occurs primarily in the southern half of the state. Learn more about this rather distinctive and conspicuous weed in this article…