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Browse Plants

Narrowed By:Zone: 10+ Uses: House Plant+ Seasonal Interest: Summer
Displaying 1 - 20 of 53 listings   1 | 2 | 3View AllNext > Sort By: Sort
Alocasia micholitziana 'Frydek' Alocasia micholitziana 'Frydek'
(Elephant's ear)
(3 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Satiny deep green to black leaves and glowing white veins on 18-inch-long leaves make this elephant's ear great in containers, in a shady border, at the edge of a pond, or as a houseplant. It also has pale stalks with purplish banding. 'Frydek' is very tolerant of a range of soil pH, heat, humidity, and heavy soil. It can even take about a half day of sunlight.

Alstroemeria 'Casablanca' Alstroemeria 'Casablanca'
(Peruvian lily)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

'Casablanca' Peruvian lily is the closest to white that this genus has gotten as of yet. Inside its amaryllis-shaped white flowers, reddish dashes on a yellow wash and a pale pink throat add interest. 'Casablanca' is also taller than most other Alstroemerias. They make great cut flowers and are frequently used by florists; they also add a tropical feel to beds and borders. Roots are very brittle and care should be taken when planting.

Aspidistra elatior Aspidistra elatior
(Cast-iron plant)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This is an ovate, glossy-leaved plant usually grown as a houseplant. In early summer, it produces fleshy, bell-shaped, cream colored flowers with maroon interiors.

Breynia disticha 'Roseo-picta' Breynia disticha 'Roseo-picta'
(Snow bush)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

The white- and pink-mottled leaves of 'Roseo-picta' make it appear as if the plant has been snowed upon, even though it is a tropical plant. It is an evergreen shrub growing to 3 feet or more with pink and red stems in zigzagged formation. Native to Pacific islands, it is grown as an indoor plant or perennial, or as an annual in cooler climates. The tiny flowers go generally unnoticed. Do not allow the soil to dry out, as leaf drop will occur.

Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi' Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi'
(Gold angels' trumpets)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Foot-long blossoms are nocturnally fragrant, and pour out from narrow calyces of light yellow, to terminate in fluted, reflexed openings the hues of golden summer squash.

Brugmansia suaveolens Brugmansia suaveolens
(Angels' trumpet)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Few plants evoke tropicalia quite like the Brugmansias, with their voluminous tubular flowers that drip from imposing shrubs or small trees. They look fantastic in containers or plunged into a border, and the dramatic display persists from late spring until autumn. In cooler climates, they may be brought under glass or cut back and held dormant in a cool basement.  All parts are highly toxic if ingested.

Brugmansia suaveolens 'Pink Delight' Brugmansia suaveolens 'Pink Delight'
(Angels' trumpet)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Foot-long, rich pink blossoms are nocturnally fragrant and pour out from narrow calyces to terminate in wide, flared openings.

Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'
(Karl Foerster feather reed grass)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This versatile ornamental grass has slender, upright, deep-green foliage. A cool season grass, it is upright and clump forming, with purplish-green, feathery plumes that can reach 6 feet in height. It blooms in early summer rather than fall and must have winter chill to bloom.



Information provided by Santa Rosa Gardens.

Canna × generalis Canna × generalis
(Indian shot)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Cannas bear broad, smooth paddle-like leaves reminiscent of banana plants. The oversize leaves make it easy to create dramatic combinations with other, more finely textured plants. Each stout, fleshy stem is topped with attractive spires of brightly colored flowers. Cultivars vary widely in height, foliage, and bloom.

Capsicum annuum 'Black Pearl' Capsicum annuum 'Black Pearl'
(Ornamental pepper)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This pepper boasts the most dramatically deep purple-black leaves and fruit imaginable. The vigorous, bushy plants grow to 18 inches tall and almost as wide. Flowers are lilac, and dark black peppers emerge in fall.

Colocasia esculenta Colocasia esculenta
(Taro)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A large, showy, marginal aquatic plant with heart-shaped, dark green leaves, taro can reach 5 feet tall and is often grown as a summer annual. Use it in a container or near water.

Cordia parvifolia Cordia parvifolia
(Littleleaf cordia)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Though its leaves are small, this semi-deciduous shrub stands out in the landscape. Littleleaf cordia has a prolifically branching, slightly open form that looks good year-round. Its roughly textured, dark gray-green foliage contrasts nicely with its coppery brown young stems. From late spring into fall, branch tips bear clusters of pristine, white, funnel-shaped flowers to provide a visually cooling effect during the peak of summer heat. It grows to 6 to 8 feet tall and wide.

Cordyline hybrida var. JURed 'Festival™ Burgundy' Cordyline hybrida var. JURed 'Festival™ Burgundy'
(Festival™ Burgundy corydaline)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This basal branching cordyline combines the rugged easy-care attributes of its cordyline cousins with an unusual mix of shiny dark color, compact bushy form, short stems and cascading grass-like leaves.

Cordyline australis 'Purple Tower' Cordyline australis 'Purple Tower'
(Giant dracaena, New Zealand cabbage palm)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

'Purple Tower' is a cultivar of the New Zealand native cabbage tree, frequently grown in greenhouses, as houseplants, or as large accent plants outdoors. It is hardy to Zone 10. The narrow, plum-purple leaves reach 3 feet long. The fragrant white flowers are small, but they are borne in large panicles in spring and early summer on mature plants. Plants grown in containers only rarely flower, however. Young plants are often sold as houseplants. Mature specimens have thick trunks with foliage at the top, resembling a palm tree. They are striking container specimens and can be plugged into a summer border. The species has naturalized in portions of California and the southern U.S.

Dianthus chinensis ‘Ideal Crimson' Dianthus chinensis ‘Ideal Crimson'
(China pink, India pink)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Fringed flowers in shades of bright red with white centers open without fragrance in summer. 

Echinocactus grusonii Echinocactus grusonii
(Golden barrel cactus, Mother-in-law's cushion)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Golden barrel cactus has a rounded form that eventually elongates. Bright green stems bear 20 to 40 sharply angled ribs. Yellow areoles produce golden yellow spines. Bright yellow flowers appear in summer.

Eucomis comosa 'Oakhurst' Eucomis comosa 'Oakhurst'
(Pineapple lily, Pineapple flower)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This bulbous perennial has striking reddish purple, strap-like leaves and foot-long purple flowers that resemble pineapples in late summer. Grow in a sunny border, container, or greenhouse. Plants used outdoors may be overwintered in a frost-free location. The species is native to South Africa.

no image available Euphorbia characias
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This upright, evergreen shrub has stunning texture and form. Its gray-green leaves and woolly, purple-tinged stems form billowy, 4-foot long branches. From early spring to early summer, it produces giant cylindrical bract clusters in yellow-green with purple-black nectar glands, and creates a specimen that looks otherworldly.

Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt' Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt'
(Fuchsia)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This cultivar boasts single, long-tubed, brick red flowers and dark bronze-red leaves and stems.

Habranthus robustus Habranthus robustus
(Rain lily, Zephyr lily, Fairy lily)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Pale pink flowers pop up suddenly after a summer rainstorm and resemble small amaryllis flowers on this native of Brazil. In the proper conditions, they can multiply rapidly and carpet the garden.


Displaying 1 - 20 of 53 listings   1 | 2 | 3View AllNext > Sort By: Sort