Parfyanka pomegranate (Punica granatum ‘Parfyanka’) is widely regarded as one of the finest eating pomegranates in the world, a Central Asian heirloom variety whose extraordinary fruit quality has earned it a devoted following among home orchardists, chefs, and pomegranate enthusiasts wherever it can be grown. Originating in Uzbekistan, where pomegranate culture stretches back thousands of…

Pacific beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis) is a tough, spreading evergreen groundcover native to the Pacific Coast of North and South America, a plant with deep ecological roots and genuine ornamental merit that has earned a loyal following among gardeners who value natives, low-maintenance groundcovers, and edible plants in equal measure. Growing naturally on coastal bluffs,…

Otto Luyken laurel (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’) is one of the most widely planted and reliably performing evergreen shrubs in the temperate landscape, a compact, low-growing selection of the English laurel that delivers year-round structure, handsome glossy foliage, attractive spring flowers, and an adaptability to difficult conditions that has made it a staple of foundation…

Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), also known as tall Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, is one of the most ecologically valuable and ornamentally distinguished native shrubs of the Pacific Northwest, an evergreen plant that earns its keep in the garden through four seasons of genuine interest while simultaneously providing exceptional wildlife value and a toughness that…

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is one of the most indispensable herbs in the kitchen garden, a hardy, aromatic perennial that has flavored Mediterranean cooking for thousands of years and earned a permanent place in herb gardens across the world for its robust, earthy, slightly peppery flavor that forms the backbone of Italian, Greek, and Mexican cuisines.…

Orange mint (Mentha × piperita f. citrata), also sold as bergamot mint or eau de cologne mint, is one of the most aromatically distinctive members of the vast and varied mint family, a vigorous perennial herb whose broad, dark green leaves carry a fragrance that blends the familiar cool freshness of peppermint with a warm,…

The orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva), also called the tawny daylily or ditch lily, is one of the most familiar and widely naturalized flowering perennials in North America, a tough, vigorous plant whose bright orange blooms appear along roadsides, fence lines, and abandoned garden sites across much of the eastern and central United States every summer…

Onyx hens and chicks (Sempervivum ‘Onyx’) is a striking succulent perennial that earns its place in the garden with year-round presence, extraordinary cold hardiness, and foliage color so deep and jewel-like that it looks almost too beautiful to be real. A cultivar within the vast and endlessly varied Sempervivum genus, Onyx produces dense, symmetrical rosettes…

Northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is one of the most ecologically valuable and underappreciated native shrubs in the eastern North American landscape, a deciduous woodland plant that earns its place in the garden through four seasons of genuine interest, extraordinary wildlife value, and an intoxicating spicy-citrus fragrance that perfumes the late winter air weeks before almost…

Northern pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is the largest member of the hickory family and one of the most magnificent native trees in North America, a long-lived, stately deciduous giant that provides deep summer shade, extraordinary wildlife value, and the most prized edible nut produced by any tree native to this continent. The species is native to…