Plant Profile: Bluebloosom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
Karen Blueblossom, also known as wild/California lilac, is an evergreen shrub endemic to southern Oregon to southern California where it grows in open woods and chaparral of coastal mountains. It is…
Best Flowering Brambles (Rubus spp) for the Garden
Brambles may not be at the top of your list of favorite garden shrubs but many are ornamental and deserve a place in the garden. The most common Rubus species…
Clerodenrums for the Garden
Clerodendrums are shrubs, lianas, and small trees growing three to thirty nice feet high/long and native to subtropical and tropical regions in Africa and southern Asia. They belong to the…
Plant Profile: Sun Rose (Cistus ladanifer)
Also known a rock rose and gum cistus, this flowering evergreen shrub is native to the western Mediterranean region. It is a member of the Cistaceae family, a small group…
Plant Profile: Barberry (Berberis valdiviana)
This native of Chile is a large evergreen shrub and resembles a holly. The shiny dark green leaves are pointed, and leathery. They are about three inches long and almost…
Plant Profile: Long-Leaved Lacebark (Hoheria sexstylosa) ‘Stardust’
Also called ribbonwood, this compact evergreen tree or shrub is a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae) and endemic to New Zealand and the Kermadec Islands where it grows in…
Botanical Latin: Hebe
Hebe (HEE bee) Greek hebe meaning youth; named for the Greek goddess of youth Hebe is the name of a genus in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) and are closely related…
Shakspeare’s Garden: Myrtle
Common myrtle (Myrtus communis) is an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean area. It grows up to fifteen feet high but takes well to shearing and so is often kept…
Plant Profile: Parrot’s Beak (Clianthus puniceus)
Also called lobster’s claw, this native of New Zealand’s North Island, is a small bushy evergreen shrub in the legume family (Fabaceae) . The dark green to gray green leaves…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Box (Buxus sempervirens)
Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), as it is called in America, is a slow growing evergreen shrub or small tree (15-30 feet tall) native to North Africa, western Asia, and Europe where…