'Ruby Spice' summersweet (Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice') is a small, naturalized deciduous shrub from Maine to Florida to coastal Texas. The plant grows in an oval habit to about 4 to 6 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide with lustrous, deep green leaves. Summersweet flowers during the summer when there are few plants flowering. The species itself has white flowers and 'Ruby Spice' probably has the best pink flower among commercially available cultivars. In the summer, numerous pink flowers emerge at the shoot tips. Each inflorescence is about 2.5 feet long with about 30 five-petaled flowerlets.   >> read article

The cinnamon scent, exotic leaves and exceptional fruit color of Musa velutina (pink velvet banana or hairy banana) will add a tropical flair to any garden and are hard to resist once you have seen them. With adequate winter mulch, its cold hardiness makes it possible to be grown outside tropical zones.   >> read article

Few things liven up a landscape more than color, and for bold, showy flowers it’s hard to beat Phlox paniculata (summer or garden phlox). P. paniculata boasts a wide range of cultivars in various sizes and colors, from 8-inch dwarf varieties to those 4 feet and taller. But regardless of their growth form, all garden phlox have fragrant flower clusters. Flower colors include white and shades of lavender, pink and red, as well as two-tone varieties with contrasting centers.   >> read article

It only took one season for Anemone sylvestris to become a favorite in my garden. In its native range (from southern Sweden to northern France) this species of anemone populates open woods or rocky hills. It is this adaptable nature that won it my respect.   >> read article

Something old is new again. Cultivated as a houseplant years ago, Kalanchoe tomentosa, or panda plant, has a new place in outdoor containers or rock gardens. This beautiful branching succulent plant is covered in light, silvery gray leaves that have felt-like hairs over the surface. The edges of the leaves are slightly notched and marked brown, turning a rich dark chocolate shade with increased sunlight. In its native environment of Madagascar, Kalanchoe tomentosa can grow to several feet in height but in containers will remain a friendly 18-20 inches.   >> read article