Rare & Unusual Plants

Large clusters of brilliant golden yellow 3" long trumpet shaped flowers are produced most heavily in early to midspring and may be produced sporadically during the growing season. The nectar rich flowers are produced during its short deciduous period to better show them off while attracting a variety of pollinators including hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. The Golden Trumpet Tree, previously Tabebuia chrysotricha and now classified as Handroanthus chrysotrichus, is a highly sought after, relatively fast growing, small to medium sized, short term deciduous, tropical tree that develops a naturally rounded crown at maturity growing to about 25-35'H and nearly as wide. This is a good choice as a street tree, small lawn tree, or for lightly shading a pool or patio. Pollinated flowers produce long, curving brown fuzzy seed pods. The Tabebuia prefers a well-drained, moderately fertile, average moist soil in a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9678

The fine dark green linear foliage is tipped with a slightly larger rounded pad and adorns fine trailing to twining stems. The Grass-Leaved Hoya, Hoya retusa, produces white waxy flowers that are centered by a nicely contrasting deep burgundy 'eye' in spring and on and off during the growing season on mature plants. The flowers are born singly and in small clusters. This unusual Hoya hails from India and its fine stems lend it to use as a hanging basket specimen, allow it to spill from containers like the 'head' pots as wild looking hair, and it can be used as a groundcover below larger plants that require similar conditions as long as there is ample bright light to keep it growing and healthy. Like most Hoyas, allow the soil to become semi-dry between waterings although this species can tolerate a little more moisture than most. Item# 12294

Billowy, ruffly edged, double, purplish pink, 2-3" wide flowers are produced in early to midspring and are held against a foil of deep green, medium textured foliage with the flowers attracting bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and curious passersby. Hallie Evergreen Azalea is an unusual and uncommon Aromi hybrid that develops into a medium-sized, densely branched shrub. Azaleas do best in average moist, acidic soils that are rich in organic matter but have good to excellent drainage and should be top dressed with an organic mulch such as pine straw and pine bark. We recommend using a slow-release, non-burning fertilizer that is labeled for acidic loving plants. Images courtesy of Maarten Van der Giessen, Van der Giessens Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 12572

In early spring, rich pink cherry blossoms cover the bare stems attracting an array of pollinators with pollinated flowers producing 3/8-1/2" diameter, tart fruit that ripen to a deep purplish red in mid to late spring to early summer. The Hiromi Dwarf Afghan Cherry, a selection of Prunus jacquemontii, is a small deciduous shrub growing to about 3-5'H and 4-5'W with an upright to spreading, bushy habit. The plants are self-fertile and have proven to fruit reliably even in the Deep South with minimal chill hours. The weight of ripening fruit can give the plants a semi-weeping habit. The small cherries are semi-sweet and tart when fully ripe and have a fairly large pit. The fruit, which doesn't all ripen at once, can be eaten fresh or made into preserves or jelly, if you have several plants, or left for the songbirds to enjoy. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, fertile soils for optimum vigor and growth. The Hiromi Cherry has moderate drought resistance once fully established in the garden or landscape. It is reported to be a butterfly host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. Item# 10641

Hanging clusters of small individual flowers are centered by waxy yellow, star-shaped coronas with a creamy white to pink tinged halo and recurving fuzzy corollas are produced during the growing season. Hoya obscura is one of the more vigorous and easier to grow vining waxflowers that is well-suited to hanging basket culture or give it a trellis or other support for its twining vines to climb. The major leaf veins are fairly prominent in this species even from the upperside of the medium green foliage and under cool direct sunlight the foliage can become more olive green and may even take on red tones. To some the flowers have a light fragrance and it may be most noticeable at night or very early in the day. The mother plant was sold to us as Hoya pusilla, and we thank Rachel for pointing this out for us, so if you have purchased that species from us it is H. obscura. Item# 12367

Hanging clusters of fuzzy white to white tinged pink flowers with a pink halo and recurving corollas are produced during the growing season. Hoya pusilla is one of the more vigorous and easier to grow vining waxflowers that is well-suited to hanging basket culture or give it a trellis or other support for its twining vines to climb. The major leaf veins are fairly prominent in this species even from the upperside of the medium green foliage and under cool direct sunlight the foliage can become more olive green. This is also considered to be one of the more cold tolerant species among Hoyas although it still will not tolerate a freeze. To some the flowers have a light fragrance and it may be most noticeable at night or very early in the day. Item# 12349

The 2-3" wide, white funnel shaped flowers are randomly flecked with pink to red and are produced in late spring. Iveryanum Azalea, a.k.a. Iveryana, is an heirloom dwarf Southern Indica hybrid developing into a 3' high mound of medium to deep green, medium textured, evergreen foliage. It lends itself to bonsai culture but is sure to be a low-maintenance conversation piece in the garden and landscape. Azaleas do best in average moist, acidic soils that are rich in organic matter but have good to excellent drainage and should be top dressed with an organic mulch such as pine straw and pine bark. We recommend using a slow-release, non-burning fertilizer that is labeled for acidic loving plants. Azalea flowers attract a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Item# 12797

The 2-3" wide mainly white flowers have a nicely contrasting deep cherry red blotch and flecks but are occasionally light pink to light lavender and are produced in mid to late spring. Johga Azalea, a sport of Izayoi and sometimes spelled 'Joga', is a dwarf Satsuki evergreen azalea that slowly develops into a 2-3' high mound of deep green medium-texured foliage. It lends itself to bonsai culture but is sure to be a low-maintenance conversation piece in the garden and landscape. Azaleas do best in average moist, acidic soils that are rich in organic matter but have good to excellent drainage and should be top dressed with an organic mulch such as pine straw and pine bark. We recommend using a slow-release, non-burning fertilizer that is labeled for acidic loving plants. Azalea flowers attract a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Item# 12799

The 3 1/2" wide, ruffled, deep red funnel shaped flowers are produced in early to midspring and are somewhat reminiscent of the old favorite Red Ruffles. Katherine Allison Azalea, is an evergreen Dr. Eugene Aromi hybrid named for his granddaughter, having good vigor and with an initially upright habit eventually mounding out to about 4-5' high and wide. Developed in Mobile, Alabaman these were bred for good performance in the heat and humidity of the Southeast. Katherine Allison Azalea can be utilized as an informal hedge, specimen or anywhere else you would use a spring flowering medium-sized evergreen shrub in the garden and landscape. Azaleas do best in average moist, acidic soils that are rich in organic matter but have good to excellent drainage and should be top dressed with an organic mulch such as pine straw and pine bark. We recommend using a slow-release, non-burning fertilizer that is labeled for acidic loving plants. Azalea flowers attract a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Item# 12800

The culmination of years of breeding and selection, the LaNana Cypress was selected for its deep emerald green, fine textured foliage with excellent disease resistance and the trees produce no knees, have excellent vigor potentailly growing 4-6' per year, a naturally conical growth habit, are both salt and alkaline soil tolerant, and are drought resistant once well-established. Dr. Dave Creech of SFA Gardens, Nacogdoches, Texas in cooperation with Dr. Yin Yunlong and the Taxodium Breeding and Improvement Program at Nanjing Botanical Gardens in China have developed and selected this highly improved kneeless Cypress that was bred from controlled crosses of the Montezuma Cypress, Taxodium distichum var. mexicana, and the Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum var. distichum. LaNana Cypress, a.k.a 'T406', has proven to be the most popular of the resultant clones and has been trialed across much of the southern US. Image credit of Laurence Truett, SFA Gardens via Dr. Dave Creech, all rights reserved. Item# 10697

Small to medium-sized, formal double, soft creamy yellow flowers held against the starkly contrasting foil of deep green foliage are produced in mid to late season, January to April. Lemon Glow Camellia is a highly sought after, large flowered Japonica with a slow rate of growth and an upright to rounded, densely branching habit. A Cam Too Camellia Nursery introduction found as a sport of Dahlonega. Its slower growth habit lends this cultivar to container culture and bonsai as well as a prized addition to the garden and landscape. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13233

A rare and unusual succulent, the Lifesaver Cactus produces burgundy and tan star-shaped flowers that look as though a grape lifesaver has been stuck perfectly in their center. This is a low growing to trailing succulent with softly toothed 4-angled thick succulent stems that root into the soil anywhere they are in contact with it making it an easy plant to share. The Lifesaver Cactus makes for an easy and forgiving container plant for a porch, patio, or window and prefers a well-draining cactus-like soil. Grow it in an area that receives high indirect sunlight as it normally grows in the shade of larger desert plants in its native Africa. Allow the soil to become moderately dry between waterings and never keep the soil soggy wet. Item# 489

Up to 1" wide dense double wonderfully fragrant white flowers are produced in abundance throughout the growing season to year round under warm tropical conditions. The Little Duke Sambac Jasmine is an old cultivar with a compact upright to scandent (a.k.a. vine-like) habit and slightly smaller flowers that is a more vigorous prolifically flowering plant than the Grand Duke of Tuscany Jasmine. The dark green elongated to rounded foliage is reminiscent of Grand Duke Supreme Jasmine but Little Duke Jasmine has denser flowers and is expected to be more compact making it a good choice for container culture or bonsai. Provide a full to part sun site in a fertile well-drained acidic soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12272

Small clusters of 2" long tubular red and orange flowers with a yellow throat emerge from the leaf axils on long peduncles, the stem that supports the flowers, to offer up its nectar reward to hummingbirds and larger butterflies. Under warm tropical conditions Lobelia aguana flowers nearly year round with the heaviest flowering in summer and fall. A shrubby Lobelia with long deep green narrow foliage it quickly matures into a 5'x5' specimen. Lobelia aguana hails from the Mesoamerican Cloud Forests of Central America. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist soil with average or better drainage. Item# 11802

Deep glowing red, starry flowers with tubular throats are held on sturdy 24-36" high stems and flower over an extended period beginning in summer and often into fall under good conditions. An obviously hummingbird pollinated perennial but it aslo attracts some larger butterflies, especially Sulphurs. The Louisiana Catchfly, Silene subciliata, is a rare, drought resistant, clump forming, tap-rooted, native perennial that is found only in Western Louisiana and East Texas. It is typically seen growing on well-drained sandy loams to loamy sands and so areas with good to excellent drainage will be optimum. While the Louisiana Catchfly can tolerate the filtered shade of open Longleaf Pine forests, plants tend to be sturdier and shorter in full to mostly sunny sites. The rosettes are cloaked in rounded narrow, medium-green foliage and remain evergreen in zone 8B. This is one of the few Silenes that easily tolerates the heat and humidity of Southeastern summers. Easy and reliable once established. Item# 9522

Medium to large, semi-double to peony to anemone form, deep rosy pink flowers with contrasting golden stamens are produced late in the season, March to April. The pollen laden flowers attract bees and other pollinators. Maiden of Great Promise Camellia is an exceptionally cold hardy, as in zone 6B, large flowered Japonica with a moderate rate of growth and a densely branching, upright to rounded habit. It was reported to have come to Camellia Forest Nursery from Longwood Gardens, where it has proven quite reliable, and potentially initially orginated in Ohio. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13234

Large clusters of 1" wide starry golden yellow flowers with anthers that age to a contrasting red may be produced throughout the year under warm tropical conditions. The flowers attract bees and butterflies and if pollinated they are followed by 3/4-1" wide helicopter-like samaras. Maiden's Jealousy, Tristellateia australasiae, is a naturally evergreen tropical twining woody climber with rich green foliage and purplish stems on the growth. It can be grown in the ground in areas with mild winters and can also be grown as a container plant where not hardy. Provide a full to mostly sunny site for optimum flowering. Maiden's Jealousy should be fairly tolerant of soil types as it is a component of Mangrove swamps and coastal forests in Tropical Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Australia. Item# 12026

Exceptionally fragrant with a strong spearmint aroma! Malcolm's Whiteleaf Mountainmint, a.k.a. Malcolm's Mint, was selected and introduced by its namesake Dr. Malcolm Vidrine for its strong minty fragrance in lieu of the typical, sometimes camphor-like, fragrance more common to this species. This is a clump forming native perennial with an upright to rounded growth habit reaching about 3' high by flowering. The dainty flowers are pollinated by a variety of smaller pollinators but are especially relished by bees. Easy to grow and deer and pest resistant. Whiteleaf Mountainmint is somewhat drought resistant once well-established. Clusters of tiny, light pink, tubular flowers are encircled by a mass of velvety white, bract-like leaves in mid to late summer. Item# 12627

Small clusters of 2" wide white fragrant flowers open at the end of long slender tubes release their fragrance mainly at night with some fragrance maintained throughout the day as well. Peak flowering is generally in spring and summer with some flowers produced year round under warm tropical conditions. Manacá, Brunfelsia uniflora, is considered to be the most importnat Brunfelsia species used by South American shaman's and medicine men with a wide variety of uses from poison arrows, to 'dream walks', as an aphrodesiac, as well as a medicine to treat a variety of illnesses (we cannot recommend the use of this plant in any form as it can be potentially deadly). This is a naturally evergreen medium to large tropical shrub that may be planted in the garden and landscape where hardy or use it as a container plant that is overwintered indoors elsewhere. Item# 11896

The large rounded clusters of tubular open to deep orange, fragrant flowers with a contrasting gold splotch that attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds in early spring atop the bare stems. Mauvilla Gold Aromi Deciduous Azalea develops into an upright to rounded, medium-sized deciduous shrub well suited to bright woodland settings but will also thrive in full sun under good conditions. The Aromi Deciduous Azaleas were developed by Dr. Eugene Aromi of Mobile, Alabama, and are known for both their amazing spring display of fragrant flowers as well as their ability to withstand the heat and humidity of the Southeastern US. Sometimes still fondly referred to as Wild Honeysuckle Bushes, these nativars will do best in an average moist, well-drained, fertile, acidic soil from partial shade to full sun conditions. Topdress with an organic mulch like pinestraw, a.k.a. pine needles, or pine bark. Item# 13291