Browse Plants

The giant snowdrop has larger flowers and broader leaves than the more common G. nivalis, but grows to the same 4 inches tall and wide. Its white, nodding blooms appear in late winter, signalling spring around the corner.

Snowdrops are some of the earliest bulbs, and flowers in general, to bloom in spring. Galanthus nivalis is the most common species, and its cultivars are the most commonly grown snowdrops on the market. They are reliably hardy and perennial. They grow to 4 inches tall and wide and flower in mid- to late winter, long before most other plants. They are the first sign of spring around the corner. Flowers are nodding and white.

If you dwarfed flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus, Zones 3–7) and sent it to finishing school, Japanese wood poppy would be the result. Birders will note that Glaucidium is also the name of a genus of owls, and gardeners may, ahem, hoot and flap when they see Japanese wood poppy in full bloom. This debutant may need a year or two to refine before flowering, but when it does, the coming-out party is a show of violet sepals. (White varie­ties are also available.) Naturally, it will wilt in the heat and will require shade and regular water. -Justin Nichols, #Fine Gardening 147 (October 2012), page 70 

This native terrestrial orchid produces basal rosettes of striking silvery-veined evergreen foliage. Small white flowers are borne on single slender stems about 6 to 10 inches tall in late summer.

(1 user review)

Year-round gray-green foliage persists through shade and snow and is fairly deer and rabbit resistant. Flowers appear in early spring with daffodils and tulips. This cultivar produces flowers that sit well above the foliage and point upward, which adds to its showiness.

(1 user review)

Hellebores begin blooming in mid-winter in a range of colors, adding much needed color very early in the season. They bloom when the temperature is below freezing, even amidst the snow. Protect from cold winter winds, especially when not insulated by snow, to avoid damaged foliage. Avoid ingestion of all plant parts and contact with the sap.

An early bloomer, liverwort has tiny, cup-shaped, blue, pink, or white flowers in spring. Three-lobed, mottled, mid-green leaves appear after the blooms.

This evergreen, California-native shrub grows to 20 feet tall and wide and produces abundant clusters of tiny white flowers in early summer, which attract beneficial insects that help control pests. This is followed by bright red berries that feed wildlife in fall and winter. The only species of its genus, Toyon is closely related to the genus Photinia.

Heucheras make excellent foliage plants for sun to part shade gardens. Most flowers are not as impressive as the foliage, but they do add a second level of interest. 'Silver Scrolls' heuchera's leaves are burgundy overlaid with silver and withstand even hot summers, unlike many other silver plants. It grows up to 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide.

Large, fuzzy, gray-green leaves distinguish 'Autumn Bride' from other cultivars of Heuchera villosa. Attractive white flowers bloom in midsummer. This heuchera tolerates full sun but prefers partial shade, especially in the afternoon. -Jane Hutson, Regional Picks: Midwest, Fine Gardening issue# 127

This hybrid heuchera has lobed, dark-green leaves and big panicles of large white flowers in late spring and early summer. It grows up to 30 inches tall and 18 inches wide. The flowers are suitable for cutting and the foliage is somewhat evergreen.

(1 user review)

As its name might indicate, 'Guacamole' has avocado green, veined foliage with darker green margins. This hosta forms large, dense clumps and thrives in partial shade, where the sun can brighten the leaf centers. In late summer, 3-foot-tall flower stalks emerge, bearing fragrant, lilylike white blooms. -Matt Griswold, Regional Picks: Northeast, Fine Gardening issue #127

I’m one of those people who thinks a garden without a hydrangea would seem incomplete. And because it provides interest in all seasons, oakleaf hydrangea is one of the best. Not everyone, however, has enough garden real estate to devote to such a large plant. Enter ‘Ruby Slippers’, a new compact form of oakleaf hydrangea, which is a must-have for smaller spaces. Developed by one of the premier hydrangea hybridizers, Sandra Reed of the U.S. National Arboretum, ‘Ruby Slippers’ boasts a multitude of stocky flowers that show up as white and then mature to striking deep rose. With its space-conscious habit and vibrant blooms, ‘Ruby Slippers’ will soon become a hugely popular flowering shrub.

This bulb blooms in early summer with striking, sweetly-scented white and yellow flowers that appear on leafless stems up to 24 inches tall. Petals curve up to accent a daffodil-like cup, sometimes with green-striped tubes. Peruvian daffodil has long, strap-shaped, arching, dark green leaves.

Spectacular, but fleeting, stemless blooms have blue-lilac petals, each with a white patch and a yellow or orange crest on each fall. Crested iris blooms in May. Dagger-shaped leaves 5 to 6 inches tall form an attractive, cool green carpet of stiff leaves. ‘Alba’ is a white-flowered variety.

Lewisia cotyledon is an evergreen perennial of incredible beauty and well-balanced proportions. Fleshy leaves emerge in flat rosettes of spoon-shaped dark green leaves. Funnel-shaped flowers to 1 inch across are borne in compact panicles. The true species has candy-striped pink flowers. Hybrids bloom in shades from white to magenta.