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Variegated weigela (Weigela florida ‘Variegata’) is a deciduous flowering shrub that earns its place in the garden with a combination of attractive foliage, reliable bloom, and easygoing temperament that makes it one of the more satisfying mid-sized shrubs available for residential landscapes. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, it grows well in full sun…
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Mariesii viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Mariesii’) is one of the most architecturally distinctive and beautiful flowering shrubs available for the temperate garden, and it’s a plant that tends to stop people in their tracks when they see it in full bloom. This deciduous shrub is hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8 and grows…
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Victoria rhubarb (Rheum x hybridum ‘Victoria’) is one of the oldest, most dependable, and most widely grown rhubarb varieties in cultivation, and for good reason. This hardy perennial vegetable, grown for its edible stalks rather than its leaves, is reliably hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8 and thrives in climates with cool winters and…
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Vine maple (Acer circinatum) is one of the most beautiful and underutilized native trees of the Pacific Northwest, and for gardeners in its natural range and beyond, it’s a plant that rewards closer attention. This deciduous large shrub or small tree is hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9 and is native to the coastal…
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Violette de Bordeaux fig (Ficus carica ‘Violette de Bordeaux’) is one of the most beloved and highly regarded fig varieties in cultivation, and among serious fig enthusiasts it occupies a place of particular distinction. This deciduous fruiting shrub or small tree is hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10 in the ground, though it’s widely…
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Weeping willow (Salix babylonica and related hybrids, particularly Salix x sepulcralis ‘Chrysocoma’) is one of the most instantly recognizable and emotionally evocative trees in the landscape, a plant so deeply embedded in cultural imagination that most people could sketch its silhouette from memory. This deciduous tree is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9 depending…
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Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) is one of the most iconic and ecologically important plants of the Pacific Northwest, and it’s a fern that earns genuine admiration both in its native woodland habitat and in cultivated gardens. This evergreen perennial fern is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9 and is native to western North…
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Wheels of Wonder Salmony Pink ice plant (Delosperma ‘Wheels of Wonder Salmony Pink’) is a compact, low-growing succulent perennial that delivers a surprisingly bold and long-lasting floral display from a plant that asks almost nothing in return. Hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9, it’s one of the more cold-hardy ice plants available, which expands…
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White mulberry (Morus alba) is one of the most historically significant trees in human cultivation, best known as the primary food source for silkworms and the foundation of the global silk industry for thousands of years. This deciduous tree is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8 and is native to China, though it has…
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Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) is a charming, low-growing native evergreen groundcover that punches well above its modest size in terms of ornamental interest, wildlife value, and practical usefulness. Hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, it’s native to eastern North America, ranging from Newfoundland and Manitoba south through the Appalachian Mountains into Georgia and Alabama, where…