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Jewel of Desert Ruby ice plant (Delosperma ‘Jewel of Desert Ruby’) is a dazzling, mat-forming succulent ground cover that delivers an almost unbelievable show of color from late spring through the first frost. Part of the Jewel of Desert series developed by renowned breeder Koichiro Nishikawa, this low-growing evergreen perennial produces masses of daisy-like flowers…
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Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) is a small, elegant ornamental tree that bridges the gap between the beloved common lilac and a true shade tree, offering the best qualities of both. Native to northern Japan, it’s the largest member of the lilac family and one of the few that grows into a genuine single-trunked or…
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Japanese red maple (Acer palmatum) is arguably the most beloved ornamental tree in the world, and it’s easy to understand why. Few trees combine such exquisite beauty, manageable size, and year-round interest into a single plant. The term “Japanese red maple” broadly covers the many cultivars of Acer palmatum that display red, burgundy, or purple…
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Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra) is one of the most graceful and refined ornamental grasses available, and it occupies a niche that very few other grasses can fill: it thrives in shade. Native to moist, rocky cliffs and mountain woodlands on the main island of Honshu in Japan, this elegant, slow-spreading perennial brings a flowing,…
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Jacob Cline bee balm (Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’) is widely considered the gold standard among red-flowered bee balms, and for good reason. This vigorous, clump-forming perennial produces large, shaggy, brilliant scarlet-red flower heads that are nothing short of spectacular in the summer garden and absolutely irresistible to hummingbirds. Named after a passionate gardener from the…
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Blue garden iris most commonly refers to the tall bearded iris (Iris germanica), one of the most iconic and widely grown perennials in temperate gardens worldwide. Bearded irises come in virtually every color imaginable, but blue remains the quintessential iris hue, from soft, pale sky blue to deep, saturated violet-blue and everything in between. Hardy…
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Hick’s yew (Taxus x media ‘Hicksii’) is one of the most reliable and versatile evergreen shrubs available for home landscapes, and it’s been a go-to choice for gardeners and landscape professionals for decades. A hybrid cross between Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) and English yew (Taxus baccata), Hick’s yew combines the cold hardiness and toughness of…
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American hazelnut (Corylus americana) is a native deciduous shrub that deserves far more attention than it typically gets in home landscapes. Found naturally across much of eastern and central North America, from Maine to Saskatchewan and south to Georgia and Oklahoma, it’s a tough, adaptable, multi-stemmed shrub that offers ornamental beauty, edible nuts, and exceptional…
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Glencoe thornless raspberry (Rubus ‘Glencoe’) is a unique purple raspberry that combines the best traits of red and black raspberries into a thornless, easy-to-manage plant that’s a joy to grow and harvest. Developed at the Scottish Crop Research Institute, this hybrid brings together the vigor and cold hardiness of red raspberry with the rich, complex…
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French pussy willow (Salix caprea) is a large, fast-growing deciduous shrub or small tree beloved for its plump, silvery catkins that appear on bare branches in late winter to early spring, well before the leaves emerge. Those soft, fuzzy catkins are larger and showier than those of the native American pussy willow (Salix discolor), which…