Life
Great Plant Pick: Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata,’ Irish yew
This conifer was discovered in Ireland in 1780 and has been a favorite for formal hedges ever since.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gold Bar,’ variegated maiden grass
This is a maiden grass is a showstopper with dramatic gold stripes that cut across the grass blades.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem’
The inconspicuous flowers of “Purple Stem” sweet box bring an impressively sweet scent in wintertime.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Yucca filamentosa ‘Bright Edge,’ variegated yucca
This vase-shaped shrub stands out in any border or as a specimen container plant.
Life
Great Plant Pick: “Sekkan Sugi” golden Japanese cedar
This tree is a standout when planted with gray- or blue-needled conifers or purple foliage plants.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Taxodium distichum, bald cypress
In autumn, the needles of this pyramidal conifer turn rusty-gold before they fall.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Aster lateriflorus ‘Prince,’ calico aster
In early fall, cloud-like starry white flowers blushed with pink and purple cover the plant.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Enkianthus perulatus, white enkianthus
The fall color of this slow-growing shrub is a screaming scarlet red — a real standout in the…
Life
Great Plant Picks: Vitis coignetiae, crimson glory vine
This spreading vine is quite the climber: It can grow to be 60 feet tall when mature.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Repens,’ groundcover
Commonly called spreading willowleaf cotoneaster, this shrub needs plenty of room to grow.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Colchicum ‘The Giant,’ autumn crocus
Although commonly referred to as autumn crocus, Colchicums are not closely related to true crocus.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Trochodendron aralioides, wheel tree
With its whorling branches, this evergreen is in a genus by itself and is native to Japan and…
Life
Great Plant Pick: Aster x frikartii “Jungfrau,” Frikart’s aster
Frikart’s aster has an extraordinarily long bloom period, from late July into early October.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Schizophragma hydrangeoides “Moonlight,” Japanese hydrangea vine
What: A self-clinging and well-behaved vine, the Schizophragma hydrangeoides “Moonlight” is unique for the silver moonlight patterns on…
Life
Great Plant Pick: Waldsteinia ternata, barren strawberry
This strawberry-like spreading perennial will form a low, tight-knit groundcover over time.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gold Bar,’ variegated grass
“Gold Bar” clumping grass is a show-stopper with dramatic gold stripes that cut across the blades.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Pseudolarix amabilis, golden larch
This pyramidal conifer has pea-green needles in the summer that turn a bright gold in the fall.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Aucuba japonica ‘Rozannie,’ Japanese aucuba
This compact evergreen shrub has year-round glossy, dark-green leaves and bright red fruit in fall.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan,’ coneflower
This flower is a bold, sturdy perennial that stands out in the late summer garden.
Life
Great Plant Pick: Quercus palustris, pin oak
This native of central to eastern United States is perhaps the most widely planted America oak tree.