How to Grow Avocados

How can you not immediately fall in love with a plant called “American beautyberry”? It just makes the heart swell. Here, take a Kleenex.The emotive lexicon is well deserved.This large, deciduous shru

Though the profuse bell-shaped, yellow flowers that adorn the lengthy, twisted vines of Carolina jessamine are truly breathtaking, they conceal a deep, dark secret.They, along with the rest of the plant, are capabl

For an impressive dose of prehistoric drama, consider sago palm.The Cycad genus in the Cycadaceae family inclu

Beloved by many gardeners for its heat tolerance and shade-loving nature, but reviled by others for its eagerness to spread with abandon, R. simplex can be divisive.Thanks to its sweet purple flowers, however, we come down firmly on the pro-ruellia side of

Verbena is a genus containing about 250 species, many of which also simply go by “verbena” in common parlance, or if we’re lucky, something like the highly specific “purple verbena.”When I saw that my colleague here at Garden

Oregano, or Origanum vulgare, is a bushy, woody-branched perennial member of the mint family, Lamiaceae. Used extensively in a variety of cuisines, it is known for its earthy, robust, aromatic flavor.A staple of Italian-American cooking, orega

After a long flight from South America, a bird could use a juicy meal and a place to rest, right?For purple martins, those tasty insects an

Salvia, a genus of plants in the mint (Lamiaceae) family with nearly a thousand members, is known for its toughness.Heat tolerant, chill tolerant, drought tolerant, impervious to pest

Ornamental grasses are increasingly being used in our landscapes as an alternative to shrubs.In any region of the country, you can find nati

Show of hands – who’s ever heard of epazote? If you’re a fan of southern Mexican or Guatemalan food, you may be familiar with this ingredient, which is comprised of the leaves and stalks of the epazote (eh-puh-ZO-tay) plant.This plant is considered a weed by some, but proudly

A gift from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, sun-loving turpentine bush is native to the southwestern United States, including southeastern California, west Texas, southern New Mexico, and southern Arizona, as well as north-central Mexico.And in addition to tolerating blistering desert heat, this tough ev

Crape myrtle trees (Lagerstroemia) are to the southern United States what ivy is to university towers. Imperative. Expected. Greatly appreciated, and… lovely.Though not as ubiquitous as they are the Southeast, the crape myr