RHS Award of Garden Merit® Plants

The large, white lined, fragrant red trumpets of St. Joseph's Lily are born atop thick sturdy stems in late spring. This is one of the very best and hardiest Amaryllis for the garden and readily multiplies into a mass of bulbs. A very easy and low maintenance perennial that has long been a staple of Southern gardens. Read more from Greg Grant and SFA Gardens Outreach by clicking the 'More Info...' link below. Here is an insight to its hardiness from this paper "I had to look no further that my Shelby county kinfolks to find that the toughest garden amaryllis of all was also one of the oldest. Hippeastrum x johnsonii, the St. Joseph's lily, is reportedly the first hybrid amaryllis ever produced." - Greg Grant.Item# 11814

The large, white lined, fragrant red trumpets of St. Joseph's Lily are born atop thick sturdy stems in late spring. This is one of the very best and hardiest Amaryllis for the garden and readily multiplies into a mass of bulbs. A very easy and low maintenance perennial that has long been a staple of Southern gardens. Item# 3059.

The 4-angled, slightly fuzzy, mainly upright, deep olive green succulent stems produce 10" wide star-fish shaped, light creamy yellow flowers that are heavily overlaid with burgundy. The flowers are meant to attract Bot Flies for pollination with a fragrance of rotting meat and so the aroma is 'unforgettable'. The Starfish Cactus, Stapelia gigantea, is an easily grown, low-maintenance, densely branching cactus-like succulent that quickly develops into a mass of upright to trailing stems growing to about 8" high. During the warmer months of the year, once nighttime temperatures remain above about 55^oF and daytime temperatures are above 75^oF the Starfish Cactus can be enjoyed outdoors. It also makes an easy indoor plant for a windowsill provided it receives some direct sunlight to high indirect sunlight at a minimum. Provide a sharply draining cactus like soil mix and never allow plants to remain soggy wet. Item# 658

Clusters of 3-4" long, tubular, waxy buds open to display the long-lasting starry white wonderfully fragrant flowers that are held against a foil of shiny ovate foliage and may be produced throughout the growing season. Stephanotis or Madagascar Jasmine, Stephanotis floribunda, is an evergreen tropical twining vine that makes an easy container plant and is readily trained to small to medium sized trellises although it can climb to 12-15' high where it has a support. This is an old favorite and as Liberty Hyde Bailey states in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture "is one of the best greenhouse climbers" and "There are few plants that have all the good qualities of S. floribunda. It is a splendid grower, has good foliage, is very free flowering, and the flowers last well on the plant or when cut for decorative work." Provide a quality well-drained fertile soil in light shade to full sun. Stephanotis is an RHS Award of Garden Merit plant. Item# 665

Slender twining stems with heart-shaped leaves often having gray-green or purple markings on top of the leaves and reddish-purple undersides. Mature vines of the String of Hearts, typically 12" or longer, may produce exotic parachute-like dark purplish pink flowers with an unusual dark purplish brown parachute on top. A very easy to grow, low care, indoor plant. Item# 661

An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner! Large, deep red, rose form to formal double to loose peony form flowers accented with darker veining are produced over an extended period from early to midseason, October to February. Tom Knudsen Camellia is a large flowered Japonica with a moderate to vigorous rate of growth and an upright, moderately dense branching habit maturing into a large, upright and rounded, evergreen shrub. 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# 13246

White, green, pink, and purplish-red dominate the ginger-like foliage of this cousin of the Prayer Plant creating a colorful addition for warm and humid garden settings or indoors. The Tricolor Stromanthe will thrive on nearly any shaded patio or garden and makes for a wonderful container plant that never gets too big. Item# 10349.

Large creamy yellow, white, and green foliage acts as the backdrop for large hanging clusters of 3" wide, sky blue trumpet shaped flowers that are produced on new growth throughout the summer and into fall. The Variegated Blue Sky Vine is a vigorous twining tropical vine that revels in the warmth of summer and this form appears to be just as vigorous and sun loving as the solid green form. Evergreen in frost free locations, establish in spring once the danger of frost has past as a die-back perennial vine in zones 8-9, or it can easily be maintained as a container plant where not hardy. Item# 1234

Dark green curled fleshy foliage, edged in creamy white is dense and twisted enough to appear as a living rope. Great for hanging baskets. From late spring to autumn, bears dense umbels up to 2-1/2 " across of 20 star-shaped, waxy, lightly scented flowers. Unusual. Item # 11859

The large, palmate, tropical-looking, glossy deep green foliage of this Variegated Fatsia is splashed with nicely contrasting bright creamy white making this a standout in shaded gardens. Large loose clusters to 18" or more across are composed of 1" to 1-1/2" diameter, ball-shaped white flowers that are produced in fall to winter attracting an amazing number of mainly smaller pollinators and are followed by 1/4" diameter green berries that ripen to black. Fatsia or Japanese Aralia makes an excellent choice for shaded locations and develops into a medium to large, often multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an initially slow rate of growth that increase to moderate once plants are well-established. Makes a wonderful specimen, informal hedge, or container plant for indoors or out. Provide Fatsia with an average moist, fertile, acidic soil rich in organic matter with average or better drainage. Item# 9305

This  fragrant tropical vine flaunts wide cream to gold edging on the thick rich green foliage. Very fragrant, tubular, waxy white flowers are borne in clusters from early summer until late fall. Item # 9394.

One of the bluest of old rambling roses. Less thorny than most roses, vigorous, and fairly disease resistant. Produces clusters of fragrant, small, purple blossoms in spring which darken to a blue-purple as they age. Item # 715.

With a dwarf habit and one of the longest blooming seasons of any Gardenia this is definitely a prized garden shrub or indoor plant. Produces an abundance of the highly fragrant, double white flowers are produced throughout much of the year when kept warm and in good health.  Item# 717

The White Bleeding Heart Vine produces large clusters of white, bell shaped, flower like calyces from which deep red almost butterfly-like flowers emerge. This vigorous twining tropical climber will flower throughout the warmer months of the year or practically year round where protected from frosts and freezes. The dark green foliage acts as the perfect foil for the long-lasting bright white calyces. The White Bleeding Heart Vine may freeze to the ground in the coldest portions of its range but established plants typically return in spring. An easy and rewarding container plant where not hardy. Item # 723.

Clusters of pure-white, butterfly-shaped, fragrant flowers are produced in clusters in summer atop the tropical looking, rich green foliage and sturdy lush stems attracting both butterflies and the hummingbird-like Sphinx Moths. Cut the flowers and put them in a vase and they can perfume an entire room with their sweet heady fragrance. The White Butterfly Ginger, Hedychium coronarium, is a rhizomatous and slowly spreading, naturally evergreen tropical that acts like a die-back perennial in areas where freezes occur, reliably returning in zones 7B to 10. The Hedychium Gingers typically grow and flower best where they receive at least some direct sunlight for 3-4 hours during the day and generally have the best looking foliage where they receive shade during the heat of the day. A planting on the east facing side of a house, tree or other structure where they receive morning sun is often optimum. Provide an average moist to moist, average to well-drained, moderately fertile soil to keep this easy and reliable heirloom growing and flowering. Item# 1065

Pure white flowers in clusters are produced from early summer until fall on this great, semi-woody perennial. Plumbago is a heat, sun, and drought tolerant tropical or tender perennial that makes a great addition to container gardens or it is often found growing as a groundcover, hedge, tree form, and espaliered on fences in mild winter climates. Item# 1172.

Large 3" white trumpets adorn this vigorous perennial vine in summer and are born in clusters in the leaf axils. The White Sky Vine is vigorous enough to cover a 20' trellis by mid-summer and is considered a root hardy perennial into zone 8. The dark green, velvety foliage provides a nice foil for the pure white, yellow throated flowers. Item#  10347.

From flattened iris-like bluish-green fans emerge spikes of pure white 1" wide flowers in late spring and early summer. An uncommon pure white form of Woodland Painted Petals or Flowering Grass, Freesia laxa var. alba is an easily grown cormous heirloom perennial and RHS Award of Garden Merit winner which readily multiplies via seed to make a loose groundcover. Provide an average to well-drained soil in a full to partly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Freesia laxa is suitable for container culture as well as in the garden and landscape. Naturally winter dormant. Typically 2-3 or more bulbs per pot. Item# 11792

From flattened iris-like bluish-green fans emerge spikes of deep coral 1" wide flowers that have a contrasting splotch of dark orange-red at the base of the three lower petals that acts as a 'bee guide' and the flowers are produced over an extended period in late winter, early spring, to spring depending on your zone. Woodland Painted Petals or Flowering Grass, Freesia laxa, is an easily grown cormous heirloom perennial and RHS Award of Garden Merit winner which readily multiplies via seed to make a loose groundcover. Provide an average to well-drained soil in a full to partly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Freesia laxa is suitable for container culture as well as in the garden and landscape. Naturally winter dormant. Typically 2-3 or more bulbs per pot. Item# 12370

A beautiful clear yellow Cape Honeysuckle that produces masses of 2" tubular flowers in large clusters in summer and fall or nearly continuously throughout the year under frost free conditions. This easy heat and sun loving tropical can be grown as a medium to large arching shrub or hedge, vine or espalier, and can be trained into tree standards. The tubular flowers are a treat for hummingbirds and larger butterflies. Where not hardy it is easily maintained as a container plant. Item# 746.