This genus comprises crosses between Heuchera and Tiarella, which make evergreen, mat or clump forming, occasionally stoloniferous perennials. They have heart shaped or broadly rounded, lobed, distinct veined, sometime hairy leaves, shaded brown when young and turning reddish brown in autumn. Short loose panicles of dainty tubular-bell shaped, pink or white flowers, to 1/4″ long, are borne over a long period from late spring to autumn. They are excellent as a groundcover or edging in a herbaceous, mixed, or shrub border, or for a woodland garden.

Easy to grow in light, fertile, moist but well drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil, in sun or partial shade is best, but full shade is tolerated. Divide in autumn or spring.

Zones 5-8

This genus comprises crosses between Heuchera and Tiarella, which make evergreen, mat or clump forming, occasionally stoloniferous perennials. They have heart shaped or broadly rounded, lobed, distinct veined, sometime hairy leaves, shaded brown when young and turning reddish brown in autumn. Short loose panicles of dainty tubular-bell shaped, pink or white flowers, to 1/4″ long, are borne over a long period from late spring to autumn. They are excellent as a groundcover or edging in a herbaceous, mixed, or shrub border, or for a woodland garden.

Easy to grow in light, fertile, moist but well drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil, in sun or partial shade is best, but full shade is tolerated. Divide in autumn or spring.

Zones 5-8

perennial

comes in quart or 1 gallon pots

‘Shell Pink’
– grows 6″ tall and 36″ wide or more and bears pure white flowers
above silver leaves that are narrowly edged green.

Flower color determines planting season and light requirement: white and purple flowered species are planted in spring and prefer full sun, the yellow flowered one are planted in fall and prefer shade. The vigorous, ground covering species need moist, but well drained soil in deep or partial shade. Site away from other small plants, and dig out rhizomes when necessary to confine spread. Divide in autumn or spring

Zones 4-8

There are about 175 species of deciduous, and evergreen shrubs, trees, and climbers, in this genus.  They occur mostly in woodland and thickets, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere especially Eastern Asia.  They are grown for their foliage, autumn color and ornamental, often ribbed, wing or lobed, spherical or almost spherical fruits, borne from autumn to winter, which split to reveal bright yellow, red, or orange seeds, with often colorful arils.  Birds are attracted to the fruit.  Leaves are opposite (rarely alternate) simple, very variable in shape, and are toothed or scalloped.  In late spring or summer it bears inconspicuous cymes of 3, sometimes 7-15, small greenish or yellowish or white occasionally purple-red or red-brown flowers.  Uses range from a shrub border to specimen plantings, and from hedging to ground cover.  All parts may cause mild stomach upset if ingested.

Grow in any well drained soil in full sun or light shade.  If grown in full sun, they need moist soils, although deciduous species and cultivars are more tolerant of dry soils.  Shelter evergreens from cold, drying winds.  Variegated cultivars need sun to enhance leaf variegations.

Prone to mites, scale insects, leaf miners, aphids, mealybugs, witches broom, stem dieback, powdery mildew, and fungal spots are problems.

E. fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ – E. radicans – Wintercreeper Euonymus – This prostrate to mound forming, or evening climbing by aerial roots, evergreen shrubs from China grows 3” feet tall and 5′ feet wide. They produce oval or elliptic, toothed, pointed, thinly, leathery, rich green leaves, usually to 2″ long, with broad gold edges that tinged pink in winter. From early to mid summer it bears greenish white flowers followed by spherical white fruit, 1/4″ across, contains seeds with orange arils.   They may suffer winter burn in cold climates, and best used as a groundcover.

zones 5-9

There are about 60 species of slow growing and long lived, coniferous shrubs and tall trees in this genus.  They are the most drought hardy genus of all conifers.  They occur from dry forest and hillsides throughout the Northern Hemisphere.   Juvenile leaves are usually needle like or narrowly wedge shaped, and ¼-½” long.  Adult leaves are usually scale like and overlap, either lying flat along the shoots or spreading, and 1/16-¼” long. Both juvenile and adult leaves exude a pungent, somewhat pleasant smell when crushed.  In most cases, male and female cones are borne on separate plants: male cones are spherical to ovoid, yellow, and to ¼” across, females develop into usually spherical, fleshy, berry like fruits, 1/8-½” across, with 1-10 seeds, and are persistent, generally ripening over 2 to 3 years.  Junipers tolerate to a wide range of soils and conditions, and are useful for hot, sunny sites.  Use as specimen plants in a rock garden and prostrate species as a groundcover.  Contact with the foliage may aggravate skin allergies.

Easily grown in any well drained soil, including dry, chalky, or sandy soils, preferably in full sun or in light, dappled shade.  Junipers need little, if any, pruning, other then sculpting or to restrain spread.

Prone to leaf miners, bark beetles, scale insects, aphids, mites, caterpillars, bagworms, phomopsis twig blight, gymnosporangium rust (cedar apple rust), dieback, canker, lesion nematodes, brown felt blight, and a variety of heart rot and wood rots.

J. procumbent  – Bonin Islande Juniper – Creeping Juniper – Japanese garden Juniper – Japanese Juniper – This fast growing, mat species from Southern Japan grows to 12” tall and can spread 5-6’ feet wide. It produces mostly linear, needle like, sharply pointed, green leaves in threes. Bears brown or black fruit.

Zones 3-9

There are about 100 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and climbers, rarely trees, in this genus. They occur in woodland in Eastern Asia and North and South America. Grown mainly for their large, showy flower heads, many hydrangeas also have ornamental, flaky, peeling bark when mature, and attractive foliage with good autumn color. The leaves are broadly to narrowly ovate, or lance shaped, toothed, and either opposite or in whorls of 3. The flat, domed, or conical, terminal flower heads consist of corymbs or panicles of both tiny fertile flowers and larger sterile flowers with showy, 4 petal-like sepals.

Cultivars of H. macrophylla are divided into 2 groups: lacecaps have flattened flower heads with small fertile flowers in the centers, surrounded by larger sterile flowers, Hortensias (mophead hydrangeas) have nearly spherical flower heads of large sterile flowers.

The flower color of hydrangeas is affected by acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Acidic soil containing aluminum produce blue flowers, soil with a pH greater than 6.0 produces reds and pink flowers. White flowers are not affected by pH. H. macrophylla can change their color by dressing with aluminum sulphate for blue and with lime for red.

Hydrangeas are useful for a range of garden site: they are excellent as specimen plants or in group plantings, in a shrub border, or in containers. Climbers can be used to clothe a shaded wall or fence, or grow up tree trunks. The flower heads may be dried for use in arrangements.

All parts of hydrangeas may cause mild stomach upset if ingested, contact with the foliage may aggravate skin allergies.

Grow in moist but well drained, moderately fertile, humus rich soil in sun or partial shade, provide shelter from cold, drying winds. Most hydrangeas become chlorotic in alkaline soil. Reblooming and/or remontant H. macrophylla produce flowers on current season’s wood so bloom it less likely to be lost to incorrect pruning or cold.

Prone to gray mold, slugs, powdery mildew, rust, ringspot virus, leaf spots, honey fungus, aphids, scale insects, and spider mites

H. luteovenosa – This unusual hydrangea from Southern Japan is regarded by some botanist as no more than an old form of H. scandens. It is a shrub of semi prostrate or scrambling habit with very slender, weak stems, the leaves are little more than 1″ long, and are veined or blotched with yellow, hence the specific name. The flowering panicles of H. luteovenosa are very modest, less than 3″ wide and with very few white sterile flowers. This plant is not often found in cultivation.

Zones 7-9

There are about 60 species of slow growing and long lived, coniferous shrubs and tall trees in this genus.  They are the most drought hardy genus of all conifers.  They occur from dry forest and hillsides throughout the Northern Hemisphere.   Juvenile leaves are usually needle like or narrowly wedge shaped, and ¼-½” long.  Adult leaves are usually scale like and overlap, either lying flat along the shoots or spreading, and 1/16-¼” long. Both juvenile and adult leaves exude a pungent, somewhat pleasant smell when crushed.  In most cases, male and female cones are borne on separate plants: male cones are spherical to ovoid, yellow, and to ¼” across, females develop into usually spherical, fleshy, berry like fruits, 1/8-½” across, with 1-10 seeds, and are persistent, generally ripening over 2 to 3 years.  Junipers tolerate to a wide range of soils and conditions, and are useful for hot, sunny sites.  Use as specimen plants in a rock garden and prostrate species as a groundcover.  Contact with the foliage may aggravate skin allergies.

Easily grown in any well drained soil, including dry, chalky, or sandy soils, preferably in full sun or in light, dappled shade.  Junipers need little, if any, pruning, other then sculpting or to restrain spread.

Prone to leaf miners, bark beetles, scale insects, aphids, mites, caterpillars, bagworms, phomopsis twig blight, gymnosporangium rust (cedar apple rust), dieback, canker, lesion nematodes, brown felt blight, and a variety of heart rot and wood rots.

J. communis ‘Sentinel’ – Common Juniper – This upright forming shrub, from the Northern Hemisphere.  It grows 5′ feet tall and 24″ inches wide. It produces linear, sharply pointed leaves that are medium green, coarse needles, with single, glaucous white bands on inner faces, are carried in three’s.  Ovoid or spherical fruit, green when first produced, ripen to glaucous blue then black over 3 years and used for flavoring gin.

Zones 2-6

There are about 60 species of slow growing and long lived, coniferous shrubs and tall trees in this genus.  They are the most drought hardy genus of all conifers.  They occur from dry forest and hillsides throughout the Northern Hemisphere.   Juvenile leaves are usually needle like or narrowly wedge shaped, and ¼-½” long.  Adult leaves are usually scale like and overlap, either lying flat along the shoots or spreading, and 1/16-¼” long. Both juvenile and adult leaves exude a pungent, somewhat pleasant smell when crushed.  In most cases, male and female cones are borne on separate plants: male cones are spherical to ovoid, yellow, and to ¼” across, females develop into usually spherical, fleshy, berry like fruits, 1/8-½” across, with 1-10 seeds, and are persistent, generally ripening over 2 to 3 years.  Junipers tolerate to a wide range of soils and conditions, and are useful for hot, sunny sites.  Use as specimen plants in a rock garden and prostrate species as a groundcover.  Contact with the foliage may aggravate skin allergies.

Easily grown in any well drained soil, including dry, chalky, or sandy soils, preferably in full sun or in light, dappled shade.  Junipers need little, if any, pruning, other then sculpting or to restrain spread.

Prone to leaf miners, bark beetles, scale insects, aphids, mites, caterpillars, bagworms, phomopsis twig blight, gymnosporangium rust (cedar apple rust), dieback, canker, lesion nematodes, brown felt blight, and a variety of heart rot and wood rots.

J. communis ‘Repanda’ – Common Juniper – This low growing, rounded forming shrub, from the Northern Hemisphere.  It grows 15″ inches tall and 6-8′ feet wide. It produces linear, sharply pointed leaves that are medium green, coarse needles, with single, glaucous white bands on inner faces, are carried in three’s.  Ovoid or spherical fruit, green when first produced, ripen to glaucous blue then black over 3 years and used for flavoring gin.

Zones 2-6