Sesleria autumnalis is a meadow grass reaching twelve to eighteen inches with light green foliage. Flowers appear in the spring and fade gracefully throughout the summer. It tolerates a wide range of conditions. Sesleria caerulea is low growing to eight inches tall, The leaves are green on…
Stipa arundinacea (now known as Anemanthela lessonia) grows three by three feet in shades of olive and orange. This is a lovely grass for all seasons. A new variety, ‘Sirocco’, is smaller, about eighteen inches, with bright shades of copper and pink in cool weather. Both…
Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is a very striking, upright grass that produces narrow brown flower heads four to six feet tall. The straw colored flowers remain throughout the winter. This grass prefers rich, moist soil. Other cultivars include ‘Overdam’ and ‘Avalanche’ which exhibit white…
This genus contains both deciduous and evergreen species. One of the deciduous varieties we stock is a very dramatic variegated one, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cabaret’ which can grow six to seven feet tall. It is grown for its outstanding foliage as it is not know…
Pennisetum setaceum is a lovely, graceful grass and the ‘Rubrum’ form is by far the most popular. It’s no wonder as the purple blades are topped with graceful waving flowers. The main drawback, however, is that it is not cold hardy in the…
Aucuba japonica Aucuba is a foliage plant that can be very useful in the shade. The most widely used varieties are variegated. One of the most handsome is ‘Mr. Goldstrike’ grown by Monrovia Growers. This evergreen plant is a slow grower,…
The handsome, dark green leaves of Camellias provide a great background for the lovely spring flowers as well as for other shade loving plants. Camellia sasanqua is generally shorter with smaller leaves and flowers. It blooms earlier, usually in winter, and many of the…
This is a very low maintenance, evergreen plant that requires little water and is greatly appreciated for its deer resistance. Fragrant white flowers appear in the spring and, occasionally, again in the autumn. The plant is fairly fast growing and can…
Grown strictly for its foliage, Fatsia adds a very tropical look to the shade garden. It will have white puffy flowers in late autumn and winter, but they are not particularly showy, just interesting and unexpected. Fatsia can take deep…
Abutilon (flowering maple) Abutilons display flowers of white, yellow, pink, red, orange and apricot along with frequently bold foliage. Dwarf varieties are only three feet tall while others can grow to six feet or more. The flowering maples are just a bit marginal for the…
