This deciduous holly’s red berries make it a winter winner.

From Weed to Garden Splendor

Daphne, the first love of Apollo, gave her name to a genus of shrubs as endearing as her flight from his embrace. She was transformed into a laurel tree to escape the god, so we crown champions with laurel (Laurus nobilis) wreaths. But for fragrance alone, there is no single genus of shrubs that I find more indispensable for the garden than Daphne…

The genus Aloe merits wider use, be it in a potted collection or in mixed plantings. More than any other plant, aloe vera is an icon of the 1960s and ’70s (at least within the realm of legality). It grew on nearly every countercultured windowsill in North America, offering its gelatinous sap to be smeared or swallowed for every known malady…

Umbrella leaf is a very large-leaved perennial for shady gardens.

The pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) is a good small tree for gardens.

Melianthus major, or giant honey bush, is an impressive foliage plant.

Laburnocytisus adamii is a small flowering tree that resulted from an interesting cross.

Helwingia are shrubs with interesting flowers and fruits.

Two-winged silverbell is an excellent ornamental tree for humid regions.

Calycanthus are shrubs that have been made highly ornamental through breeding.