Fatsia Japonica, also called Japanese Aralia, is a tropical looking evergreen shrub with large palm-like glossy green leaves. Performs beautifully in a shady garden spot and can also be grown in large containers for patio or entryway use. Produces clusters of white flowers late winter into spring. The foliage can be used in cut flower arrangements and last for weeks. Can grow up to 6 feet in height with a comparable spread and does best in Zones 7-10.
Here at Creekside, we carry several different Gauras! The Graceful Pink Gaura blooms with soft pink flowers that open from dark pink buds above a low mound of bronze-green leaves. The Passionate Rainbow has delicate silky pink flowers with beautiful, variegated foliage. Both are tough perennials that tolerate heat, humidity and some drought conditions once established making them a perfect plant for Texas gardens and beds! Deadheading is not necessary for continued blooming although you may want to trim back the dead stems in midsummer to encourage new blooms. Deer resistant, but highly attractive to butterflies, add these graceful spots of color to any landscape for blooms all summer long!
The 'Splendida' agave is a striking succulent with rosettes of dark green leaves up to 12" tall and 18" wide. Leaves are marked with a bright, greenish-yellow stripe down the center and the margins are lined with stout white spines. When mature, this plant can produce up to a 12' tall flower stalk with spidery, fragrant flowers after which it will die off. However, like most agaves, this variety will form offshoots or “pups” around the base of the parent plant as it ages that can be transplanted. Heat and drought tolerant, it performs best in well-drained soil with full sun exposure and little water needs.
Lower growing form of the Standard Japanese Yew, this shrub has dense, small, dark green, needle-like foliage, but without the sharp points. This plant grows well in Zones 8-11 in partial shade to full sun. For zones with colder temperature ranges, it can be grown in containers for moving indoors during winter. Also effective for mass planting on embankments, hillsides and slopes where its root system can assist with erosion control. Left natural, it can reach 3 to 5 ft. tall with a spread of up to 6 ft. wide. However, it responds well to pruning and shaping for size control. This is also a great plant to use in coastal areas because it tolerates mild salt spray. Considered as deer resistant and is not bothered by many insects.
This heat loving flowering shrub boasts beautiful bracts (colored leaves) atop upright vining branches. These flowering machines will bloom year-round in warm climates. In a climate where the winters are cool, they’ll bloom for 9-10 months. The tiny white centers are actually the flowers and the bracts are what give us those big shows of color. Bougainvilleas put out a big explosion of color, drop their bracts and then flower again. Makes for a wonderful accent plant as its rapid growth makes this an excellent selection as a cover for arbors, trellises, and fences. Prefers dry well drained soil for best flower production.