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Browse Plants

Narrowed By:Type: Annuals, Grasses, Vines+ Seasonal Interest: Summer
Displaying 1 - 20 of 207 listings   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11View AllNext > Sort By: Sort
Abelmoschus manihot Abelmoschus manihot
(Hibiscus manihot)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A large ornamental okra with dinner-plate-sized, sulfur yellow flowers with dark eyes. Each flower lasts only a day—unfolding slowly in the morning and closing gradually in the evening—but the abundance of flowers open on any one day conceals their short life span.

Actinidia kolomikta Actinidia kolomikta
(Variegated kiwi vine)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Variegated kiwi vine is an attractive woody vine that tolerates shade. The male has lovely pink, white, and green variegated leaves and small flowers that are fragrant and cream-covered. This species needs both a male and female plant to produce its sweet, grape-sized fruit. The fruits have no fuzz, and the skin is soft and tender. Best fruit production is achieved in full sun. The cultivar 'Arctic Beauty' has smaller leaves but is hardy to Zone 3.

Ageratum houstonianum Ageratum houstonianum
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

There are many cultivars available of this fast-growing annual. They are best used as bedding, edging, or container plants. Panicles of blue, pink, purple, or white flowerheads arise from oval, downy leaves in midsummer and continue until frost. They have a soft, fuzzy appearance and attract butterflies.

Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Danube' Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Danube'
('Blue Danube' ageratum, 'Blue Danube' floss flower)
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This early, compact bloomer grows to only about 6 or 7 inches tall. With its icy blue-purple flowers, it works well when planted tightly along the foreground of a bed. Its color blends easily with most other hues and textures. -Julia Jones, Designing with annueals, Fine Gardening issue #120

Alternanthera dentata 'Purple Knight' Alternanthera dentata 'Purple Knight'
(Calico plant, Joy weed)
(1 user review)

This dark-leaved, tropical foliage plant loves heat, and is useful spreading through a bed, border, or in a container where its deep purple leaves can contrast with brightly colored flowers or foliage. Alternanthera are native to tropical and sub-tropical areas of Central and South America. Their flowers are generally an afterthought. This plant works well for edging, as an annual groundcover, or in a formal knot garden.

Amaranthus cruentus Amaranthus cruentus
(Prince's feather, Purple amaranth, Red amaranth)
(1 user review)

Amaranthus cruentus makes a striking statement in beds or borders. Growing to 6 feet in height, it bears somewhat fuzzy-looking spires of purplish red flowers in summer, followed by seed heads that can be red, purple, or yellow. It is native to tropical regions of North and South America, and is one of three Amaranthus species cultivated for their grain.

Amaranthus tricolor and cvs. Amaranthus tricolor and cvs.
(Chinese spinach, Tampala, Joseph's coat)
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This hardy annual has vibrant, ornamental red, yellow, and green foliage that lends a tropical effect to the garden. Small flowers, borne from summer to early autumn, are inconspicuous in comparison to the effect of the foliage. Cultivars feature yellow and maroon-shaded leaves, but the species still offers the showiest foliage.

Andropogon zizanioides Andropogon zizanioides
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This beautiful ornamental grass has upright, glossy green foliage and interesting, animated leaf tips that resemble party favors. Evergreen to 25°F, these plants gain reddish purple hues in the fall and winter. This plant is extremely adaptable—it thrives in desert and damp conditions, it is used for erosion control, and it works well in containers or as a screen. It looks especially beautiful when backlit by the sun.

Anethum graveolens Anethum graveolens
(Dill)
(1 user review)

As an herb, A. graveolens is commonly grown for the culinary attributes of its leaves and seeds. Its distinctive foliage texture and flower color and form make this plant a nice companion in a mixed border. It provides a valuable food source for butterfly larvae and attracts beneficial insects also.

Antirrhinum majus Antirrhinum majus
(Snapdragons)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This plant produces upright racemes of two-lipped flowers with spreading, rounded lobes in a vast arrray of warm colors. It flowers profusely summer through autumn.

Asarina scandens Asarina scandens
(Figwort, Creeping snapdragon)
(2 user reviews)

A half-hardy perennial, this sophisticated climber grows to 8 feet tall. It has a profuse show of 1.5-inch indigo, violet, pink, or white flowers. It's great for the cold greenhouse or conservatory, and will often bloom until the end of the year unless there is a hard frost.

Begonia 'Crackling Fire' Begonia 'Crackling Fire'
('Crackling Fire' begonia)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Gorgeous new series of boliviensis begonias in six colors – Red, Orange, Yellow, Creamy Yellow, Pink and White. Perfect for baskets and containers. Plants are more sun and drought tolerant than other begonias. Crackling Fire begonias are low maintenance and self-cleaning. Plants are loaded with flowers and bloom continuously until frost. Their sturdy, upright habit prevents breakage.  Plants reach a height of 4-10 inches with a spread of up to 10 inches. Crackling Fire is perfect as a container plant or hanging basket and thrives in full to partial sun. -Suntory Collection

Begonia grandis ssp. evansiana Begonia grandis ssp. evansiana
(Hardy begonia)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This tuberous begonia bears green heart-shaped foliage with red veining and claret-stained undersides that steal the show when backlit. Pendent clusters of slightly fragrant, satiny pink or white blossoms open from midsummer until frost. It makes a good perennial companion for ferns and hostas.

Bellis perennis Bellis perennis
(English daisy)
(1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

English daisy bears stems topped with a single white, daisy-like flower. The flowers are tinged maroon and yellow; but cultivars are available with single, semi-double, or double button flowers in shades of white, pink, salmon, and ruby. The plant's smooth, spoon-shaped leaves form neat rosettes. This carpeting perennial is often grown as a biennial. Its many cultivars are used for bedding out or container displays.

Beta vulgaris 'Bull's Blood' Beta vulgaris 'Bull's Blood'
(Beet)
(1 user review)

This heirloom beet from 1840 is primarily grown for its tender, sweet, deep red-burgundy foliage, but the beets are tasty when harvested at the 2- to 3-inch size. The glossy leaves reach 18 inches high. Though it is edible, it is often grown as an ornamental, and its dark leaves contrast nicely with many garden plants.

Beta vulgaris 'Ruby Red' Beta vulgaris 'Ruby Red'
(Swiss chard)
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This is a sweet Swiss chard with beautiful candy-apple-red stalks and dark green, crinkly leaves with touches of red. Both the leaves and the stalks are very ornamental and 'Ruby Red' is great in a vegetable or cottage garden, or in an ornamental bed or border. It is especially attractive when grown with plants whose colors call attention to the red coloring. Although related to beets, the root is inedible, but the leafy greens are valued for their mild flavor and high nutritional value.

Bidens aristosa Bidens aristosa
(Tickseed sunflower, Long-bracted beggar-ticks)
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This fast-growing annual of the Midwestern wet meadows grows to 4 or 5 feet tall. Hundreds of 2-inch golden daisies with buttery tips and dark, fringed eyes smother fine foliage in late summer. Be cautioned, this plant generously self-sows, and is on Kentucky's invasive plant list.

Borago officinalis Borago officinalis
(Borage, Cool-tankard, Talewort)
(1 user review)

These fast-growing plants with succulent, bristly stems are old-fashioned favorites of the border or herb garden. They self sow to produce a succession throughout the season of new plants and blossoms. The beautiful flowers are edible and are particularly bequiling on salad or floating in summer drinks. 

Bouteloua gracilis Bouteloua gracilis
(Blue grama, Signal-arm grass, Mosquito grass)
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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Blue grama is a perennial grass from the Americas bearing unusually bent and flattened inflorescences. Being native to open grasslands, they are drought tolerant and at home in meadows. They provide the garden with shades of tan that persist throughout winter. 

Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita' Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita'
('Hachita' Blue Grama Grass)
(2 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

'Hachita' has narrow, blue-green leaves that form dense mounds. In summer, elongated seedheads add visual interest. This tough, drought-tolerant grass thrives in sand or clay soil with full-sun exposure. It needs a setting with good drainage, as it won't thrive in wet conditions. -Scott Vogt, Native grasses, Fine Gardening issue #124


Displaying 1 - 20 of 207 listings   1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11View AllNext > Sort By: Sort