Detailed plant profiles with growing tips for weekend gardeners. Browse by category or search for a specific plant to find zone-specific planting advice, care instructions, and troubleshooting help.
Prickly pear is a bold, architectural cactus grown for its paddle-shaped stems, colorful flowers, and edible fruits and pads. It thrives in hot, sunny gardens where many other plants struggle, making it a favorite for water-wise landscapes. For home gardeners, it offers both ornamental appeal and a harvest of tender nopales and sweet tuna fruits.
Osage orange is a tough, adaptable deciduous tree best known for its large, wrinkled green-to-orange fruits and dense, thorny branching. It has long been valued for living fences, windbreaks, and its exceptionally durable wood. For home gardeners, it is a striking choice where a rugged, low-maintenance tree or barrier planting is needed.
Mexican hat is a cheerful native wildflower known for its distinctive sombrero-shaped blooms in warm shades of yellow and reddish brown. It brings a relaxed prairie look to sunny beds, borders, and meadow plantings while attracting bees and butterflies. Once established, it is a dependable perennial for gardeners who want long-lasting color with relatively little fuss.
Giant timber bamboo is a dramatic, towering bamboo grown for its bold canes, lush evergreen foliage, and useful edible shoots. It makes an impressive privacy screen, windbreak, or specimen planting in larger landscapes. For gardeners with enough space and a plan for containment, it is a fast-growing and rewarding plant.
Flowering dogwood is a beloved small native tree grown for its showy white spring bracts, red fall fruit, and rich autumn color. It fits beautifully into home landscapes as a specimen tree, woodland edge planting, or wildlife-friendly accent. With the right siting and steady moisture, it rewards gardeners with year-round beauty.
Downy serviceberry is a charming native small tree grown for its clouds of white spring flowers, attractive fall color, and sweet edible berries. It fits beautifully into home landscapes as both an ornamental and a wildlife-friendly plant. Gardeners love it for its natural woodland character and its ability to thrive in a range of garden settings.
Tarragon is a classic culinary herb prized for its narrow, aromatic leaves and distinctive anise-like flavor. French tarragon is the preferred garden and kitchen form, especially for sauces, vinegars, and egg dishes. This easy perennial does best in sunny spots with sharp drainage and rewards gardeners with repeated harvests through the growing season.
Sourwood is a graceful native tree prized for its drooping clusters of white summer flowers and brilliant red fall color. It is especially loved by pollinators and is famous as a source of premium sourwood honey. For home gardeners, it makes an elegant specimen tree for acidic, well-drained soils.
Bluestar is a dependable native perennial grown for its clusters of soft, star-shaped blue flowers and its fine-textured foliage. It brings long-lasting garden value, blooming in spring and often turning a rich golden yellow in fall. Easy to grow and adaptable, it fits beautifully into borders, pollinator gardens, and naturalistic plantings.
Green-and-gold is a cheerful native perennial ground cover prized for its bright yellow, starry flowers and tidy green foliage. It spreads gently to form a low carpet, making it a lovely choice for woodland edges, shaded borders, and naturalistic plantings. Easy to grow and beginner-friendly, it brings long-lasting color to spots where many flowering plants struggle.
Mustard greens are fast-growing brassicas grown for their peppery leaves, tender stems, and sometimes their flavorful seeds. They bring bold taste and lush texture to cool-season gardens, with many forms ranging from frilly leaf types to broad, smooth-leaved varieties. Easy to grow from seed, they are a great choice for beginner gardeners who want quick harvests and productive beds.
Blue Flag Iris is a striking native perennial with elegant blue-violet flowers that brighten pond edges, rain gardens, and other consistently moist spots. Its sword-like foliage adds structure through the growing season, while the blooms attract pollinators and bring a natural meadow look to the garden. This plant is especially useful where many ornamentals struggle, such as wet or boggy soils.
Weekend Plant