What's in Bloom

Dalmatian Purple foxglove (Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple') has spikes of purple flowers with throats intensely spotted with maroon. This cultivar is unique in that it blooms the first year from seed (all other species and cultivars are biennials and will only bloom the second year), and that the flowers face all directions (typically the flowers all tend to one side or the other of the stem).

Foxgloves are one of the few traditional herbal medicine plants to have transitioned into modern pharmacology; extracts of various plant parts are still prescribed to treat various heart ailments. As with all medicines, the difference between beneficial effects and poisoning is a matter of dosage. Because of the cardiac glycosides and other chemicals within the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds, this group of plants is rarely eaten by rabbits and deer.

Dalmatian purple foxglove (Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple') is in the Sensory Garden.

Pistachio trumpet daffodil (Narcissus 'Pistachio') features soft yellow petals with a greenish cast and a white halo around the trumpet. The trumpet is white at the base, changing to yellow at the edge of the cup. The original cross creating this new cultivar was made in 1978, and like other new Narcissus cultivars, it was not patented until 2004. Hybridizing flower bulbs is a long-term process, because many bulbs grown from seed do not flower until they are 5 to 7 years old; then they begin the process of evaluation for insect and disease resistance, and ease of propagation.

Pistachio trumpet daffodil (Narcissus 'Pistachio') is in the Lakeside Garden.

Tubergen milk squill (Scilla mischtschenkoana 'Tubergeniana') produces masses of milk-white flowers with the faintest of blue midribs on the flower petals. Frequently the flowers start to open at soil level, but as the flowering season progresses, the flower stalks elongate to approximately 4 inches tall. This is a sterile cultivar, and increase in the garden is achieved slowly through production of bulb offsets, commonly referred to as daughter bulbs.

The species range extends from the Caucasus Mountains south to the mountains of Iran, and it was introduced to cultivation in 1931. Like many other early spring-flowering bulbs, it can be grown in full sun, or underneath the canopy of deciduous trees, where it completes its growth cycle before the trees start to leaf out.

Tubergen milk squill (Scilla mischtschenkoana 'Tubergeniana') is in the Bulb Garden underneath the crabapples.

Helleborus × hybridus 'Blue Metallic Lady' features purpley-blue flowers with a silvery metallic cast surrounded by dark green, rapidly expanding tufts of deeply divided leaves. Hellebores thrive in shady woodland settings in moist humus-rich soils that are slightly alkaline in pH. Mature height and width is a little less than 2 feet tall by 2 feet wide.

This selection is a seed strain, so there will be slight variations on the flowers sold under this name. In climates with shorter winters, Lenten roses bloom more closely to their namesake date on the calendar; in the Chicago area, they usually begin to flower in April and frequently continue into early May. This specimen is one of a number of new exciting cultivars developed by Gisella Schmeimann of Cologne, Germany.

Blue Metallic Lady Lenten rose (Helleborus × hybridus 'Blue Metallic Lady') is in the English Walled Garden.

In spring, Cytisus × praecox 'Allgold', also known as Scotch broom, is covered with canary-yellow flowers topped with a pale yellow flag on a shrub maturing at 6 feet in height and width. Not reliably hardy in the Chicago area, this plant is also noted for its tolerance of salt spray and poor, acidic soils. The very small leaves are deciduous during droughts, leaving the task of photosynthesis to the green chlorophyll covering the stems and trunk.

Allgold Scotch broom (Cytisus × praecox 'Allgold') is in the Circle Garden.

Meconopsis 'Lingholm' is a beautiful selection of the Himalayan blue poppy, noted for an absence of purpley veining in the flowers. True-blue flowers are held well above the gray-green foliage covered with golden to silver hairs that glisten in the sunlight. Native to the very high elevations of southwestern China and the Himalayas, this plant thrives in lower elevations in areas with moist, cool summers, like the Pacific Northwest and the west coast of Scotland.

Himalayan blue poppy (Meconopsis Lingholm') is in the Subtropical Greenhouse.

Passiflora vitifolia is a spectacular red-flowered passion vine native to a broad region stretching from Costa Rica to northwestern South America. The deeply lobed green leaves resemble those of grapes—the grape genus is Vitis—ergo the specific epithet referring to grape-like foliage. The leaves are an important food source for larvae of Heliconius butterfly species; the adults visit the flowers to obtain nectar. (Species of Heliconius butterflies can be seen later this year in Butterflies & Blooms.)

Pollinated flowers are followed by 5-inch, speckled, egg-shaped fruit with edible, juicy, whitish pulp. The fruit is very sour until fully ripened.

This is a large, and fast-growing vine (to 20 feet) that requires a warm, humid greenhouse with bright light to thrive in the Chicago area.

Red-flowered passion vine (Passiflora vitifolia) is blooming in the Tropical Greenhouse.

[CC-BY-2.0] via Wikimedia Commons.

The Subtropical Greenhouse, with its Mediterranean climate, features Brunfelsia pauciflora — accurately named the yesterday, today and tomorrow plant for the transformation of deep purple flowers to lavender and then finally white as they age.

This fragrant shrub is a moderate grower, but can reach a fairly large size in a non-greenhouse environment. In USDA Zones 9–11 it will reach 3 to 8 feet tall, with a spread of 4 to 6 feet. When grown indoors, it can be pruned to a modest size as a specimen plant. Yesterday, today and tomorrow plant is known to contain poisonous alkaloids. The berries are especially toxic.

The yesterday, today and tomorrow plant (Brunfelsia pauciflora) is in the Subtropical Greenhouse.

Barbara Karst bougainvillea (Bougainvillea x buttiana 'Barbara Karst') is a strong, upright-growing, woody tropical vine that features masses of pink bracts tinted with apricot and red whenever the soil is relatively dry. Bougainvilleas are almost entirely pest-free and have very low watering needs, making them a great pick for a larger container plant. This plant can be kept in a container for years, rotating indoors during the winter months into a bright lighted window for continuing bloom.

Barbara Karst bougainvillea (Bougainvillea x buttiana 'Barbara Karst') is growing in the Temperate Greenhouse, south section, against the wall.

Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) is a rare find in U.S. botanical gardens. Aside from the Chicago Botanic Garden, only the Fairchild Botanical Gardens, south of Miami, Florida, and the Waimea Botanic Gardens in Hawaii have this interesting plant. The unusual color of the jade vine's blooms is the result of pigments in two different color classes being modified by high pH in the sap of the stems.

Native to the Philippines, only old, mature plants produce flowers. Jade vine is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae) and is bat-pollinated in the wild. The brilliantly colored, oddly shaped flowers are adapted for bats to hang upside down and sip the nectar within.

Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) is at the entrance to the Tropical Greenhouse.

Pachypodium of Madagascar (Pachypodium decaryi) is currently covered with 4-inch, heavily textured white flowers held in clusters at the ends of long, fleshy stems. Not particularly fragrant, the color suggests a moth or bat may be the pollinator. Unlike other pachypodiums, the stems of Pachypodium decaryi are not armed with spines. It is among the rarest of its species, due to difficulties with propagation.

"Pachypodium" translates into "elephant foot," in reference to the thickened lower trunks used to store up water for the prolonged droughts of its homeland. It is native to the island of Madagascar — one of the world's most threatened biological hotspots, due to conversion of the natural ecosystems into agricultural land to support a growing population.

Pachypodium of Madagascar (Pachypodium decaryi) is in the Arid Greenhouse.

Clairette dwarf iris (Iris 'Clairette') is a vibrant purple- and-white-flowered cultivar of Iris reticulata, or netted iris. The species name reticulata refers to the netted pattern on the dry bulbs. This award-winning variety is a low-growing, bulbous plant that blooms in early April at about the same time as snowdrops (Galanthus), glory-of- the-snow (Chionodoxa), and early crocuses. Its striking, long-lasting, 2.5-inch purple flowers have streaks of white on the deeper purple falls. The flowers bloom on naked stems, typically reaching 4 inches tall. Narrow, lance-shaped, grasslike leaves elongate to 15 inches after blooming, and they disappear by late spring as the plants go dormant.

These dwarf herbaceous perennials are especially effective when planted in large masses in sunny or lightly shaded areas of rock gardens, in the fronts of borders, along walks, or near streams or ponds. To ensure consistent flowering from year to year, plant supplemental bulbs each fall, or grow as annuals by planting new bulbs every fall. The bulbs also may be forced in pots indoors. Clairette dwarf iris thrives in USDA Zones 5 to 9. Don't be tempted to nibble the leaves, however; it is highly toxic.

Clairette dwarf iris (Iris reticulata 'Clairette') is blooming in the iris family bed of the Heritage Garden.

Galanthus nivalis 'Atkinsii' is a very showy, large-flowered snowdrop, among the first bulbs to bloom in early spring. The name was given to the genus by Carl Linnaeus in 1735. Native to large areas of Europe, from Spain to the Ukraine, the name is derived from the Greek gala (milk) and anthos (flower). The epithet "nivalis" means "of the snow," referring either to the snowlike flower or the plant's early flowering. With especially hardened tips to push through the late-spring snow, Galanthus nivalis was described at the 1891 meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society as "second to none in size, form, quality, and freedom of growth." The 'Atkinsii' cultivar is a vigorous, tall variety that grows to 9 inches.

This dwarf bulbous perennial has linear or strap-shaped green to gray-green, glaucous leaves (with a powdery surface, like that on grapes). At the top of its erect, leafless flowering stalk is a solitary, pendulous, bell-shaped flower with three pear-shaped, white, outer segments and three shorter inner ones, marked with a prominent green heart-shaped mark at the tips. The whitish seeds have small, fleshy tails containing substances attractive to ants, who distribute the seeds. Best planted in partial shade in moist, hummus-rich soil, snowdrops can be naturalized in grass under trees, where they look spectacular mixed with crocuses. The leaves die back a few weeks after the flowers have faded.

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis 'Atkinsii') may be found in the middle level of the Waterfall Garden, on the south side.

Iris histrioides 'George' is among the first of the very early spring flowers to come into bloom in the Chicago area.

'George' is actually a hybrid between Iris reticulata and Iris histrioides and combines the early flowering of histrioides with the robust vigor of the reticulata parent. The flowers are composed of three upright petals known as "flags" and three petals that hang down, known as "falls." The dark purple falls contain a blotch of white edged in yellow, known as a nectar guide.

Close observation on a sunny day will provide an opportunity to see bees and other nectar-gathering insects landing on the blotch and following the yellow strips inside the flower to the nectar. Very close observation will reveal pollen stuck to the backs of the insects, which provides for pollination of the flowers as the bees move from one flower to another.

The genus name is derived from the Greek iris, a messenger from the gods that traveled to earth on a rainbow. About 300 species of iris can be found in a wide range of habitats in the northern hemisphere, varying in size from diminutive very-early-spring alpines to tall bearded and juno iris, up to 3 feet in height, blooming near midsummer.

George dwarf iris (Iris histroides 'George') is in the Sensory Garden, on the west side of the path.

Amur adonis (Adonis amurensis) and its ties to the namesake god are a good match. This plant is as handsome as any perennial, and once seen in bloom, its perfection is almost impossible to resist. Adonis is as ephemeral as the god Adonis, and soon after blooming, the plant returns underground to await the next late winter or early spring. This beautiful plant is native to the hills of Japanese islands and China along the Amur River, from which it derives its species name.

A member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family, the flowers have waxy, heavy, bright yellow petals. The 1- to 2-inch, large-for-the-plant blooms emerge and open first. Just as the flowers fully mature, bright green, divided, featherlike foliage appears to form a fluffy collar around each individual blossom. The blooms are hermaphrodite (having both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees, flies, and beetles. Reaching a height and width of about a foot, amur adonis quickly forms a very well-behaved, open clump in the garden. It thrives in full sun or light shade in USDA Zones 3 to 7, where the blooms react to cold or cloudy days by closing and waiting for sunshine and warmer days to return. It's a delightful choice for sun-dappled woodland areas, rock gardens, and cultivated beds that are humus rich, moist, and well drained.

Amur adonis (Adonis amurensis) is on the hillside facing the exit to the Graham Bulb Garden.

A herald of early spring, winter aconite's beautiful yellow blooms are borne over a mound of rich green foliage. A member of the Ranunculaceae family, Eranthus hyemalis is one of the earliest spring-flowering bulbs to bloom — and also among the smallest. Because these bulbs grow closer to the soil's surface, it takes only a few sunny days or thawing rains to warm the soil and signal to dormant bulbs that it's time to start growing. Cold winters typical of the plant's native European woodland origin, and cooler, humus-rich soil often bring the best show of flowers for the aconite.

There is, however, a dark side to these showstopping beauties — the entire plant is quite poisonous and may cause nausea, vomiting, colic attacks, and visual disturbances. Don't let this information compel you to remove them from your yard, though — the aconite's bitter taste makes it unlikely that a pet will fall victim to the plant through curious nibbling.

Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) is in the path between the Graham Bulb Garden and Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden.

Pink Pixie paper flower (Bougainvillea glabra 'Pink Pixie') is a member of the Nyctaginaceae family. It is a true dwarf form of the huge tropical vines that are star performers in tropical gardens, and is used to provide a bright splash of color in bonsai gardens. Imported from the Philippines, this sun-loving plant is so unusual because of the short distance between nodes on its stems. This feature results in flowers and leaves packed tightly together—a different look from typical bougainvillea hybrids. The blooms of 'Pink Pixie' come from small, bright pink bracts set amid densely packed, matte, yellow-green leaves. The bracts are modified leaves evolved to lure pollinators to the true flowers: small, white, tubular blooms that attract hummingbirds.

This large, widely branched, upright shrub reaches a height of 2 to 4 feet and a width of 2 to 3 feet in USDA Zones 10 and 11. It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil in relatively dry conditions. Plant with care, because it is sensitive to root disturbance and will not transplant successfully once in the ground. This is the best species for containers, patios, and any small, sunny space.

Pink Pixie paper flower (Bougainvillea glabra 'Pink Pixie') is in the Subtropical Greenhouse near the south entrance.

Rondeletia leucophylla is often sold under the name of Panama rose, even though it is actually a native of Chiapas, Mexico. This bushy, large shrub produces masses of pink flowers virtually all year when planted in the ground in a conservatory. Both hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the flowers, which, interestingly, don't become fragrant until after the sun goes down — suggesting that it may be pollinated by moths as well.

Panama rose can be grown as a container plant, or in the ground in a frost-free conservatory. Grow in full sun in a setting with moderate moisture.

Panama rose (Rondeletia leucophylla) is in the Tropical Greenhouse.

The hybrid orchid ×Odontocidium 'Areur C. Ching' blooms with dozens of silver-dollar-sized yellow blossoms with reddish-brown banding on long (up to 18-inch), arching bloom spikes. Multiple bloom spikes per plant turn this relatively small-flowered treasure into a bouquet up to 3 feet wide. The banding is inherited from the Odontoglossum parents, while the bright yellow color and multiple flowers are characteristic of the Oncidium side of the family. It likes cool, bright conditions with weekly fertilizing and a temperature range of 50 degrees F. at night and 80 degrees F. during the day. If container grown, a 12-inch or larger clay pot (for stability) is recommended.

Hybrid orchid ×Odontocidium 'Aeur C. Ching' is blooming on the southwestern orchid tree in the Tropical Greenhouse.

Japtropha integerrima 'Compacta', commonly known as compact spicy jatropha, produces showy bright pink flowers throughout most of the year. This "compact" selection features shortened internodes (the length of stem between the buds), resulting in a large shrub (versus a medium-sized tree for the straight species). Compare and contrast the very succulent-appearing Jatropha podagricea in the Arid Greenhouse with this species from the relatively moist island of Cuba. Like almost all members of the Euphorbiaceae family, this plant's sap contains a white latex substance that is a skin irritant and can be poisonous if swallowed.

Compact spicy jatropha (Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta') is just west of the Palm Allée in the Tropical Greenhouse.

Haage mammillaria (Mammillaria haageana) originated in Mexico. The first species was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The genus Mammillaria is currently one of the largest in the cactus family, with 171 known species and varieties. This amazing plant, with its cylindrical form and bright carmine rose flowers, is a showstopper of a cactus. The top of each cylinder is crowned with bright, funnel-shaped flowers in a circle surrounding the center. This small gem only grows up to 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide. Its outer spines are short and white, and the inner spines are longer and black. Spine groups on the side are arranged in a closely spaced, spiral pattern (instead of vertically).

This genus has an unusual approach to plant metabolism, absorbing carbon dioxide at night and re-emitting it during the day in a way that improves photosynthesis—a trait these cacti have in common with pineapples. A late-winter bloomer, haage mammillaria should be watered sparingly and grown in light shade with good drainage. Recommended for USDA Zones 9b to 11, it is hardy to 25 degrees F.

Haage mammillaria (Mammillaria haageana) is at the far end of the Arid Greenhouse.

Variegated shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana 'Variegata') is a special form of the popular variegated shrimp plant. Native to Mexico, the common name of this plant refers to its striking shrimplike blossoms. Its true flowers are 1-inch, white, tubular blooms held between and arching from spikes of reddish-maroon bracts (modified leaves) atop the flecked foliage. Its medium green, matte leaves are splashed with creamy white markings and covered with soft hairs.

Hardy in USDA Zones 8 to 11, this herbaceous perennial becomes full and dense as it ages, reaching a height of 2 to 5 feet with a width of 3 to 5 feet. It thrives in full or part sun in well-drained, moist soil. If killed to the ground during cold weather in the northern part of its range, it will quickly return in the warmth of spring. The tropical character of this ever-blooming old favorite adds color to any American southern garden, where it attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. In other regions, it can be successfully grown as a tender container plant.

Variegated shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeana 'Variegata') is in the Semitropical Greenhouse.

Primula malacoides 'Special Mix', commonly known as fairy primrose, produces a rainbow of color in early spring. Its ½-inch-wide, dense, open flowers bloom in clusters in a colorful range of pink, burgundy, purple, red, and white on soft, hairy stalks held just above the medium green foliage. Its dainty, oval, pale green leaves have slightly frilly edges. This is a rosette-forming, upright perennial usually grown as an annual.

Fairy primrose is low-maintenance and thrives in USDA Zones 8 to 10. It prefers part-shade to part-sun in moist, loamy soil with moderate water and good drainage. It makes a cheerful showing as a seasonal bedding plant and sited in rock gardens and containers in cooler zones. This cultivar, 'Special Mix', is named for a seed mix blend unique to the Ivy Garth Seed Company.

Fairy primrose (Primula malacoides 'Special Mix') is in the Semitropical Greenhouse checkerboard area.

Coral aloe (Aloe striata) is a succulent native to South Africa. Succulents originated in climates where rain is not regular or predictable, and many are therefore drought tolerant — their leaves and stems can store water to tide them over during dry spells. Coral aloe's smooth, fleshy leaves form a tight rosette at the base of the plant, and can reach 18 inches long before tapering to a point. The tubular, coral-orange flowers bloom on erect stems held 2 feet above the foliage, and the nodding, dense inflorescences provide a colorful contrast to the leaves below.

Coral aloe is one of the easiest aloe species to grow. It isn't fussy about where it is sited, but it likes well-drained soil and handles all but hot sun or significant shade. As with most aloes, the flowers provide nectar to hummingbirds when grown outdoors in USDA Zones 9a to 11.

Coral aloe (Aloe striata) is blooming in the Arid Greenhouse near the agave collection.

Shrubby bulbine (Bulbine frutescens), a member of the Liliaceae family, is native to desert grasslands of South Africa. The name Bulbine comes from the Latin word bulbus, meaning onion or bulb. This name is misleading, however, as these plants do not have a bulbous base. A clump-forming succulent, it grows to 1½ feet tall with a 2-foot spread. The leaves are tall, fleshy green cylinders, similar to the onion leaf blade. The tall spikes of small, star-shaped yellow flowers bloom on stalks 2 to 3 feet above the foliage. The plant produces ten to 12 stalks per individual plant, which bloom continually in mid-spring and again in the fall.

Hardy in USDA Zones 9a to 11, Bulbine frutescens survives to 20 degrees F., but at that temperature the foliage will be damaged. In its native habitat it is known as the burn jelly plant, because the fresh leaves produce a jellylike juice that is wonderful for burns, rashes, blisters, insect bites, dry lips, acne, cold sores, and areas of cracked skin. The Rastafarians make an infusion of a few fresh leaves in boiling water, which they take for coughs, colds, and arthritis.

Shrubby bulbine (Bulbine frutescens) is in the central bed of the Arid Greenhouse, surrounded by paths on the south side and the northernmost raised bed near the west end.

The epiphytic dragon's mouth orchid (Encyclia cordigera var. rosea) is native from Guatemala to Panama, where the subspecies rosea is found. The flower spikes can produce flowers for up to three months, and each of the flowers smells like chocolate. This species requires very bright light whether grown in greenhouses, on a windowsill, or under artificial lights. During the summer growing season it prefers a moist, humid growing environment, but in the winter the watering should be reduced and diurnal — the difference between night and day low temperatures —with temperature fluctuations of 10 degrees F. to initiate flower production.

Most of the Encyclia species are easy to grow, making them popular with beginners and expert hobbyists alike. They are often found in the company of ants, which probably are necessary to their well-being. English botanist William Hooker first described the type species, Encyclia viridiflora, in 1828.

Dragon's mouth orchid (Encyclia cordigera var. rosea) is in the Tropical Greenhouse, lower level, on the east epiphyte tree.

Pinky Lee orchid (× Vuylstekeara Cindy 'Pinky Lee)', an Oncidium-type hybrid orchid, is a cross between Miltonia 'My Clown' and Oncidium Shonan 'Pinky'. It is one of the few pink-blooming oncidinae with amazing, relatively large mottled blossoms. The beautiful colors range from shades of pink and lavender to purple and red, with some yellow in the center. The matte flowers have purple sepals and mottled petals with a light purple lip and a darker purple margin. Mature plants can have six to eight flowers per bloom spike.

Very easy to grow in medium light with average watering, this stunning orchid is best grown in slightly humid, cool, well-ventilated conditions because of the Miltoniopsis in its breeding background. It is named in honor of Charles Vuylsteke (1844–1927), considered the father of orchid cultivation. In 1904, he became the first nurseryman in the world to create an Odontioda intergeneric hybrid, and shortly before the First World War, he also was the first to produce a tri-generic hybrid containing three genera of orchids, something that had previously been considered impossible.

Pinky Lee oncidium-type orchid (Vuylstekeara Cindy 'Pinky Lee') is featured on both orchid trees in the Tropical Greenhouse.

Genista canariensis, commonly known as Canary Island broom, is a shrubby member of the pea family (Fabaceae) endemic to the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa. For two to three weeks in early spring, it is covered with masses of fragrant gold flowers. For years it was taxonomically placed in the genus Cytissus. Despite its limited natural distribution, it has become widespread in natural communities in southestern Europe, California, and Washington state.

Canary Island broom (Genista canariensis) is in the East Greenhouse checkerboard.

Red tower or spiral ginger is a large member of the Costus genus (Costaceae) that grows in a spiral habit to a height of 4 to 8 feet. Beginning in early April and lasting through autumn, Costus barbatus 'Red Velvet' sends forth blooms in long inflorescences ending in bright red, waxy bracts. Lemon-yellow (and edible) tubular flowers emerge one at a time from between the bracts. Each flower lasts only a day, but the bracts continue to grow throughout the season, reaching a length of 6 to 10 inches. Old bracts die off quickly and new ones replace them throughout the bloom season, giving this plant the illusion of being perpetually in bloom.

When not in bloom, this Costa Rican native is still a very attractive ginger, bearing dark green, shiny leaves with a soft, downy, sage-green underside, making it a staple attraction in any tropical environment.

Red tower or spiral ginger (Costus barbatus 'Red Velvet') is in the South Greenhouse.

Crinum augustum 'Queen Emma', commonly known as Queen Emma giant spider lily, is a member of the Amaryllidaceae family. Native to tropical Southeast Asia, it is commonly grown in Mexico's hot lowlands. Its fragrant white, star-shaped flowers with purple on the back of the petals are borne on large inflorescences on red stems. The handsome, strappy foliage arises from giant fleshy bulbs, which can weigh as much as 20 pounds. The broad, dark maroon-tinted leaves are centered with a depressed midvein that runs the entire length of the leaf, which can reach 36 inches in height.

This striking, exotic plant blooms best in full sunlight in USDA Zones 8 to 11, where it can grow to a height of 5 feet with a 3-foot spread. It requires very high moisture and should not be allowed to dry out between watering. The cultivar is named for humanitarian Queen Emma (Emma Rooke (1836–85), the queen consort of Kamehameha IV), who ruled Hawaii from 1855 to 1863.

Queen Emma giant spider lily (Crinum augustum 'Queen Emma') is in the Tropical Greenhouse, near the fountain.

Golden shrimp plant or golden candle plant (Pachystachys lutea) is a subtropical, soft-stemmed, broadleaf evergreen shrub native to Peru, where it grows 2 to 6 feet tall. Its opposite, 6-inch, lance-shaped to elliptic medium green leaves are heavily veined, providing an attractive backdrop to its interesting flowers. The blooms are zygomorphic (divided by a single plane into two mirror-image halves). They are two-lipped, long-throated, short-lived white flowers that emerge sequentially from showy, overlapping, bright yellow bracts on racemes (flowers that bloom along a single central axis) produced throughout the warm months. Its four-sided, 3- to 5-inch bracts somewhat resemble the overlapping scales on a shrimp—the inspiration for one of its common names.

A popular landscape plant in tropical and subtropical areas, the golden shrimp plant grows in almost any moist, organically rich, well-drained acid soil. It thrives in full sun but will tolerate part shade. Winter hardy in USDA Zones 10 to 11, in the Midwest it blooms in the summer. As a houseplant, it requires warm, humid, sunny locations.

Golden shrimp plant or golden candle plant (Pachystachys lutea) is near the west exit of the Tropical Greenhouse.

Blue Elf aloe (Aloe 'Blue Elf') is a vigorous, tight-clumping aloe that grows 18 inches tall by 2 feet wide. It forms upright rosettes with narrow, tapered, gray-blue leaves with red-brown teeth along the margins. The foliage contrasts beautifully with its 16- to 18-inch-tall spikes of tubular orange flowers. The plant explodes with blossoms in late winter and throughout the spring. When the show is over, the slender-leafed foliage remains blue throughout the rest of the year. It thrives in full sun or light shade and will even grow in deep shade, where it will be a bit greener and more prostrate, but won't flower.

This hardy aloe (in USDA Zones 9-11) requires only occasional irrigation and grows well in full sun in desert heat. Attractive in mass plantings as a succulent groundcover or potted specimen, it's also successful placed into rock or succulent gardens, where it acts as a strong magnet to bees and hummingbirds. It requires very porous soil and excellent drainage with ample airflow.

Blue Elf aloe (Aloe 'Blue Elf') is in the Arid Greenhouse at the far west end.

New Gold lantana (Lantana camara 'New Gold') is a sterile lantana hybrid producing a continuous display of brilliant golden-yellow flowers in profuse clusters on a trailing/mounding plant to 15 inches tall and 24 inches wide. Outdoors, it attracts butterflies and bees, but the scents produced by the crushed leaves repel deer and rabbits. In climates that do not get colder than 25 degrees Fahrenheit, this plant is a deciduous perennial that flowers from spring to fall, but in warmer climates, it is evergreen and flowers continuously.

The sterility of this hybrid is a great boon for gardeners in USDA Zones 8a and warmer, where the seeds of other cultivars are spread outside the garden by birds who favor the turquoise-colored fruits.

New Gold lantana (Lantana camara 'New Gold') is flowering in checkerboards of the Subtropical Greenhouse.

Flamingo flower (Anthurium andreanum 'White Heart') is native to the wet tropical mountain forests of Central and South America and therefore thrives in greenhouses or conservatories where the temperature doesn't drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This spectacular plant has glossy, heart-shaped, dark green leaves up to 1 foot long and stems that may grow to a height of 15 to 20 inches. It is one of the few plants that can move its leaves toward or away from the sun. Its white blossoms are distinguished by a straight flower spike. The heart-shaped flower is really a spathe (waxy, modified leaf), flaring out from the base of a fleshy spike (spadix), where the tiny, real, unisexual flowers grow. They appear as a roughness on the spadix.

Flamingo flower is an epiphytic plant, often growing on other plants and hanging from trees, but it is independent and not parasitic. Popular foliage plants, anthuriums are grown for their attractive, long-lasting, flowering bracts and are widely used by the cut-flower trade. Discovered in 1876 in Columbia, the name Anthurium means "tail flower." All parts of this stunning plant are poisonous, so admire this selection from afar, and keep it away from pets. If ingested, it may cause mild stomach disorders, and the plant's sap can cause skin irritation.

White Heart flamingo flower (Anthurium andreanum 'White Heart') is in the Tropical Greenhouse, near the eastern entrance.

Blue ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora), a member of the Commelinaceae family, is a tropical plant that resembles ginger in growth and habit but is actually related to the spiderworts (genus Tradescantia). This striking plant is native to the tropical woodlands of North, Central, and South America, especially in Atlantic forest vegetation in Brazil. It is cultivated for its handsome spotted stems and large shiny foliage, which is held horizontally, surmounted by intense blue flowers. The lance-shaped leaves grow in a spiral arrangement around its tall stem. The leaf sheaths wrap the stems, and the fleshy, canelike stems emerge from underground rhizomes. The upright, three-petaled flowers have three sepals, small bright yellow stamens, and a tricornered central white "eye." Individual blooms are ½ inch in diameter, and grow in terminal flower clusters up to 8 inches long. This is one of the few tropical plants that blooms in a cool blue; most tropicals bloom in the warmer yellow, orange, or red hues, so it is a prized selection for the outdoor tropical landscape garden, where it can grow to 6 feet in moist, shady areas.

First described by naturalist Johann Christian Mikan in 1823, blue ginger was first grown in England in 1822 and is recorded from Sir William MacArthur's "catalogue" in 1857 of plants he grew in Camden, southwest of Sydney.

Blue ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) is in the Tropical Greenhouse, near the western exit.

Lampranthus godmaniae is a species of ice plant with 1-inch daisylike, vibrant magenta flowers that bloom in the morning and close in the late afternoon. The bushy, creeping succulents consist of pairs of short, waxy, cylindrical blue-green leaves. A member of the Aizoaceae family, it provides one of the most spectacular displays of bright flowers from the succulent world and is therefore widely used as either annual or perennial groundcover, as the climate allows. A native of South Africa, it thrives in full sun with frequent watering; in intense sunlight its leaves tend to turn red.

Ice plant will grow in rather poor soil with good drainage, making it a good choice for planting on slopes or in rock gardens, where it will provide dense coverage and brilliant color.

Ice plant (Lampranthus godmaniae) is in the Arid Greenhouse near the agaves.

Pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) is an evergreen, twining climber native to China. It produces an abundance of light pink flower buds in late winter and early spring, followed by masses of fragrant, trumpet-shaped, starlike white flowers. The plant bears compound leaves with five to seven leaflets. The leaves are dark green on the upper surface and a lighter green on the lower.

Pink jasmine is very vigorous and can grow up to 9 feet in height when supported. In USDA Zones 8 to 11 it can be grown in the garden, where it provides an effective cover on walls and fences with its semideciduous to evergreen foliage. It grows quickly in either sun or light shade, does not suffer pest or disease problems, and can be propagated by stem material, seeds, or suckers. Well known as a house plant in the United States and Europe, pink jasmine was first described by Adrien René Franchet in Revue Horticole 1891. It was given the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 1993 and was chosen on the bicentenary list of 200 plants for the RHS.

Pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) is in the Tropical Greenhouse, on the lower level, near the fountain.

The Triumph orchid (x Laeliocattleya Drumbeat 'Triumph') has it all! This 2-foot-tall, reliable, lavender orchid bears enormous 5-inch flowers with up to 8 blooms per spike. Its lavender tepals (outer part of the flower) have dark magenta markings on the lip and a free-blooming character. Its hardiness indoors (and at USDA Zones above 9 outdoors) makes it a popular member of the Orchidaceae family. It is easily recognizable as the classic, fragrant corsage orchid. The cultivar 'Triumph' has been produced from the intergeneric hybrid (Drumbeat) between the genera Laelia and Cattleya. It blooms from May to June, is temperature tolerant, and does well in partial sun. The soil should be allowed to almost dry out between waterings.

Triumph orchid (x Laeliocattleya Drumbeat 'Triumph') is in the Tropical Greenhouse on the easternmost orchid tree in the banana belt.

Cardinal's guard (Pachystachys spicata), a member of the Acanthaceae family, is native to South America and the greater Caribbean. This ornamental tropical plant bears large clusters of brilliant red flowers along an erect terminal spike with overlapping green leaf-like bracts. The flower clusters are composed of 2-inch tubes with two central lobes at right angles and two protruding stamens. Its dark green, glossy, oval leaves have prominent veins and grow to 12 inches. The shrub will reach 6 feet in height and grows best in a sunny location in fertile, sandy, loamy, well-drained, moderately moist soil, where hummingbirds love to feed at its tubular blossoms. The name was validly published by Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavon, but it was not until 1986 that Dieter Carl Wasshausen reclassified it into today's valid botanical systematics.

Cardinal's guard (Pachystachys spicata) is in the Tropical Greenhouse, just to the east of the Palm Allée, near the entrance.

Hanging lobster claw (Heliconia rostrata) is native to Central America, where migrating hummingbirds from North America pollinate the flowers while hovering to sip nectar. Their foreheads get dusted with pollen in the process — which apparently annoys some of them, because they have learned to poke a hole in the side of the flower to access the nectar and avoid the messy pollen! Let us hope not too many adopt this approach, because this is a spectacularly ornamental species.

Hanging lobster claw (Heliconia rostrata) is in the Tropical Greenhouse, west side, behind the queen cycad.

Acacia decora, commonly called showy wattle, is native to eastern Australia. It derives its species name from the plant's decorative qualities. This shrub grows in an erect or spreading shape from 9 to 12 feet in height, with variable gray-blue, spearhead-shaped foliage and reddish-brown-ridged, hairy branchlets. The phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks that function as leaves) are generally thin and grow up to 2 inches long with a prominent midvein. It produces profuse racemes of golden, ball-like, bright yellow flowers in clusters of 15 to 30 blooms, each of which is ½- to 1½-inch long.

Showy wattle is a fast grower that blooms from February to April in a frost-free conservatory with full sun and dry, well-drained soils. Not surprisingly, it thrives in open positions on rocky ridges or outcrops with degraded soils, but it adapts happily in cultivation to a range of lighter, drier, well-drained soils. It is also drought hardy.

Showy wattle (Acacia decora) is in the Arid Greenhouse, just inside the southernmost doorway.

Red Dragon paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Red Dragon') is a compact and beautiful addition to the sunny or lightly shaded garden. The genus, a member of the Thymelaeaceae family, was named for Michael Pakenham Edgeworth (1812–81), a keen amateur English botanist. The intensely fragrant blooms of the paperbush are the size and shape of golf balls, and cover the shrub before leaves appear in early spring. Dozens of tiny florets with a flare of watermelon-red emerge from green buds at the very end of each elegant branch, creating a stylized and unusual look. The blossoms remain for weeks, and may be cut for indoor arrangements for those who find the heavy, musky-sweet aroma—not unlike lilies—appealing.

Paperbush blooms at just the perfect time to join spring bulbs in the garden to produce an incredible show of color and fragrance. This magnificent shrub has a very open, branching habit — spidery, yet rounded. It can reach 5 to 6 feet in height and width, and is covered in pointed olive-green foliage from midspring through fall. Very slow growing, it gradually acquires a beautiful shape; the outline of its bare winter silhouette is almost as exciting as its blossoms. After the flowers pass, the widely spaced, bowl-shaped branches produce whorls at the ends, giving an entirely different look to 'Red Dragon'. Grown in moist, well-drained soil, it is suitable for large containers, and given its resistance to most pests and diseases, this Asian native is long-lived and carefree.

Red Dragon paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Red Dragon') is near the carnivorous bog in the Subtropical Greenhouse.

Red Fox™ Red Purple cineraria (Pericallis x hybrida Red Fox™ 'Todaisy' Red Purple) is an herbaceous flowering plant that originated as a hybrid between Pericallis cruenta and P. lanata, both natives of the Canary Islands. First developed in the British royal gardens in 1777, it was originally known as Cineraria x hybrida, but the genus Cineraria is now restricted to a group of South African species, with the Canary Island species being transferred to the genus Pericallis. Some botanists also treat it in a broad view of the large and widespread genus Senecio.

When in full bloom, Red Fox™ is covered with showy, daisylike flowers in a vibrant pink. There are other named hybrids and strains in an astonishing range of deep and pastel colors in white, pink, blue, lavender, and purple; many display white sections. The plants form a 12- by 12-inch mound with generally ovate, light green, softly hairy foliage. They prefer temperate climates with bright, filtered light and are treated as summer annuals or winter-flowering indoor plants in this region; they grow best in humus-rich cool, moist, well-drained soil.

Red Fox™ Red Purple cineraria (Pericallis x hybrida Red Fox™ 'Todaisy' Red Purple) is blooming in the Subtropical Greenhouse beneath the calamondin orange tree.

Wine Shades Mona Lisa™ anemone (Anemone coronaria 'PAS1863' Mona Lisa™ Wine Shades) is commonly called a poppy anemone. Native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean, this showy, vibrantly colored specimen has 4- to 4½-inch, dark-centered flowers borne above mounded clumps of divided, matte, ferny leaves. Its blossoms sit atop sturdy, thick, 18-inch stems, which make the blooms excellent for cutting. Mona Lisa™ will flower under lower light levels than other anemones, and low temperatures (46 to 54 degrees F.) will promote optimum stem length.

A must-have for the spring garden in USDA Zones 7 and warmer, compared with many other cool cut-flower greenhouse crops such as carnations, this anemone is less labor-intensive and doesn't require staking, netting, or disbudding. It is also well suited to greenhouse or field production. The beautiful plant provides texture and color in containers, moist woodland settings, or rock gardens.

Wine Shades Mona Lisa™ anemone (Anemone coronaria 'PAS 1863' Mona Lisa™ Wine Shades) is just to the north of the carnivorous bog in the Subtropical Greenhouse.

Pink lantern (Medinilla magnifica), a member of the Melastomataceae family, is more commonly known as the Malaysian orchid, despite not being part of the orchid family. Native to the mountains of the Philippines, this species is found mostly in the tropics. The leaves are somewhat distinctive, being opposite, decussate (x-shaped), and usually with three to seven longitudinal veins arising from the base of the blade. Its exotic cascading blossoms are borne either singly or in clusters on a central stem with a single terminal flower that develops first, with the other flowers in the cluster developing afterwards. The blossom is made up of many small flowers cupped in bracts (large petal-like leaves) that can grow to 20 inches. Look carefully, and you can see delicate purple anthers sticking out of the trumpet-shaped flowers. This small detail is the finishing touch and its hallmark. Easy to grow, it likes a lot of light and prefers to become somewhat dry between watering. This unique, elegant plant won the title Favorite New Flowering Plant at the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition in 2012, and is now being called "the Rolls Royce of houseplants."

Pink lantern (Medinilla magnifica) has replaced the hanging basket of orchids at the end of the Palm Allée in the Tropical Greenhouse.

(Phaius tankervilliae 'Rabin's Raven') is commonly called nun's orchid because if you look into the throat of the flower, there appears to be a nun with her head bowed in prayer. This lovely terrestrial orchid is a robust plant that blooms with clusters of four to 12 fragrant blossoms; they are marked by burgundy or bronze on the lips, and brown petals that are creamy white on the reverse side. It displays its delightful flowers prominently above elongated, pleated leaves, on stalks that can be up to 6 feet tall. Relatively easy to grow, it clumps vigorously and is believed to be the largest of the Australian orchids. It is one of about 30 species of Phaius that grow from East Africa to Australia, and it has naturalized in some areas of Florida. This impressive plant likes well-drained soil in bright shade.

Nun's orchid (Phaius tankervilliae 'Rabin's Raven') is in the Tropical Greenhouse near the west exit.

Giant wild iris (Dietes grandiflora), a member of the Iridaceae family, has large white blossoms marked with yellow nectar guides and outer tepals (outer part of the flowers) and violet central segments. Dark markings are found at the base of the outer tepals. The flowers are held on erect, slender, 3-foot-long stems amid dark green, sword-shaped leaves held in a fan shape.

This perennial plant grows up to 5 feet in large clumps and blooms abundantly during the summer (in the southern hemisphere — winter in Chicago). Native to South Africa, it grows naturally along the eastern coastal areas of the southern and eastern capes, and southern Kwazulu-Natal, where it may be found at forest margins or in the shelter of taller shrubs on exposed slopes facing the sea. The plants prefer dappled shade to full sun, where they will flower in profusion. The individual flowers do not last more than a couple of days, but the plant bears many flowers during its peak bloom, attracting bees and other pollinators.

The name Dietes means "having two relatives" and grandiflora means "large flower." This plant is occasionally called the fairy iris because the fragile white petals not only look like fairy wings, but also have a tendency to disappear mysteriously overnight!

Giant wild iris (Dietes grandiflora) is blooming in the Semitropical Greenhouse near the carnivorous plant display.

Begonia 'Lana', a member of the Begoniaceae family, is referred to as an angelwing cane begonia and is considered a variegated wonder. This grand superba-type cane was developed by Paul Lee in 1973. A tender perennial grown for its colorful flowers and foliage, its angel-winglike leaves appear even more delicate due to the grayish green variegation that runs the whole width and breadth of the leaves. The stem is canelike with evenly spaced nodes, and it branches readily. Long-lasting, dainty, brilliantly colored pink blossoms are brushed with white and yellow contrast. The very large inflorescences on plants up to 3 feet in height make it a real attention-getter.

Most begonias can be grown outdoors in pots, in the ground, or in hanging baskets in filtered light and moist, but well-drained, soil. They also grow very well in peat-based compost. They like humidity but not cold weather, so they make wonderful, low-maintenance house plants. Begonias can be propagated from leaf, stem, or rhizome cuttings in addition to being sown from seed.

Bush lily makes a spectacular indoor plant, due to its tolerance of low light levels and need for little to no water during the winter. Although it is one of those rare plants that actually blooms best if slightly potbound, its roots are perennial, and the plant resents root disturbance (which usually displays as a skipped flowering cycle).

Angelwing cane begonia (Begonia 'Lana') is blooming at the south end of the Palm Allée in the Tropical Greenhouse.

Heliconia psittacorum 'Lady Di', commonly called the parakeet flower, is an ever-blooming tropical plant that produces an abundance of bright flowers borne above clumps of lush, dark green, bananalike leaves. Bright red showy bracts (modified petal-like leaves) hold small, tubular flowers. Each true flower is white and has a dark spot at the end, which makes it look like a parrot's tongue. Native to the moist areas of the Lesser Antilles to northern South America, this vigorous broadleaf ornamental spreads by rhizomes.

Hummingbirds enjoy its nectar and pollinate the blooms; the small drupe fruits that follow are blue-black. The plants reach a height of 2 to 5 feet with a spread of 3 to 5 feet and grow best in full sun to partial shade in organic-rich, evenly moist soil with good drainage. For best performance, they should be fertilized regularly. Established plants will tolerate short periods of drought, but this cold-sensitive species will quickly die if subjected to frost. In USDA Zones 9a and colder, it is used as a container plant and provides extensive color for a long period of time, as do the cut flowers.

Parakeet flower (Heliconia psittacorum 'Lady Di') is in bloom at the west end of the Tropical Greenhouse.

Bush lily (Clivia miniata 'Sir John Thouron') is a member of the Amaryllidaceae family. Unlike most amaryllids, however, Clivias do not form bulbs; instead they have large, fleshy, white and yellow roots. Their deep green leaves are two-ranked — arising from the soil directly opposite one another in an alternating sequence. Because they arch directly above one another, a mature plant develops a symmetrical, fan-shaped silhouette that provides a perfect foil for its masses of trumpet-shaped flowers.

Native to damp woodlands in southern Africa, their habitat ranges from subtropical coastal forests to ravines in high-altitude forests, where they thrive in dappled shade in well drained, humus-rich soil. In their native habitat, they are often found in large colonies, but unfortunately, in many of those areas, colonies of wild bush lilies have been destroyed by harvesting for traditional medicine; the plants are extremely toxic to people and pets, but are used medicinally for various purposes.

The world's love affair with Clivia began in 1854, when specimens were sent back to England from Kwazulu-Natal. The plant was named after the Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte Clive, who first cultivated and flowered the specimen in England. The 'Sir John Thouron' cultivar is valued for its showy, pale yellow flowers that form a ball-shaped umbrel well above its dark green leaves. The flowers are small versions of amaryllis blossoms, clustered atop a thick, fleshy stalk. To many collectors, this cultivar has become the plant world's Holy Grail. Originally discovered in the forests of Zululand in 1888, it was only eight years ago that White Flower Farms offered 36 plants for $950 each; all were sold out to a movie star, a fashion designer, and several collectors. (The cost has dropped since then.)

Bush lilies make spectacular indoor plants, due to their tolerance of low light levels and the need for little to no water during the winter. They grow to a height of about 18 to 24 inches and emit a faint, but very sweet, perfume. Relatively easy to grow, they need a 6- to 8-week rest period in the winter. During this rest period, plants should be kept at 50 to 55 degrees F. and allowed to dry out. When a flower stalk begins to emerge in late winter, increase watering and move the plant to a warmer area. After danger of frost is past, plants can be placed outdoors in a shaded location. The soil should be kept uniformly moist and the plant fertilized every two weeks in spring and summer. Move the plant back indoors in fall. Although it is one of those rare plants that actually blooms best if slightly potbound, its roots are perennial, and the plant resents root disturbance (which usually displays as a skipped flowering cycle). Repot carefully in all-purpose potting soil only when roots can be seen at the surface of the soil, usually about every three years.

Clivia miniata 'Sir John Thouron' is in the Arid Greenhouse, only a few feet away from the Clivia miniata featured last week.

Turquoise puya (Puya alpestris) produces brilliant turquoise flowers accentuated by intensely orange anthers. Best grown in full sun with a very well-drained potting soil in low humidity, it takes years for a plant from seed to reach flowering size. To grow your own, foliar feed no more than one time per month at the lowest solution recommended. This particular accession was received as a small plant from the Huntington Botanical Garden in San Marino, California, in 1993, and has come into flower for the first time.

You may be wondering how a bromeliad (air plant) can survive in a desert. In this case, the species is native to the high desert mountains of southern Chile, and obtains almost all of its water from the morning dews that briefly precipitate water before sunrise. The long, thin, arching leaves are protected by spines along the margin that discourage herbivores from taking a bite.

Turquoise puya (Puya alpestris) is flowering in the Arid Greenhouse near the armadillo topiary.

Cameron's Magnetism dwarf cattelya orchid (x Potinara Cameron's Magnetism) is a member of the Orchidaceae family. Potinara is a manmade genus created from several species of cattleya-type orchids. The genus consists of grandparents from Brassovola, Cattleya, Laelia, and Sophronitis. These varieties seem well suited for home culture, due to hybridization and their small size. It can easily be imagined that a combination of desirable qualities from a hybrid would be an outstandingly handsome thing, and many lovely combinations do occur in Potinara crosses. The beautifully colored Cameron's Magnetism is produced from the aurea form of Guarianthe aurantiaca; it blooms with lovely yellow-orange flowers.

Potinara orchids prefer the same general conditions as cattelya orchids, including partial sun in an eastern or western exposure, and high humidity. They are susceptible to root rot, so make sure to allow the potting medium to almost completely dry between waterings.

Cameron's Magnetism dwarf cattelya orchid (x Potinara Cameron's Magnetism) can be found low on the westernmost orchid tree (not in the banana belt), near the path.

Bush lily (Clivia miniata) is a member of the Amaryllidaceae family native to damp woodlands in southern Africa, where they grow in the forests of Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and Swaziland. They do not occur naturally anywhere else. Their habitat ranges from subtropical coastal forests to ravines in high-altitude forests, where they thrive in dappled shade in well drained, humus-rich soil. In their native habitat, they are often found in large colonies and sometimes growing in the fork of a tree.

The world's love affair with Clivia began in the 1800s, when specimens were sent back to England from Kwazulu-Natal. The plant was named after the Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte Clive, who first cultivated and flowered the specimen in England. Bush lilies grow to a height of about 18 to 24 inches with orangey/peachy, trumpet-shaped flowers that emit a faint, but very sweet, perfume. The foliage of this clump-forming perennial with its dark green, strap-shaped leaves arises from a fleshy underground stem, forming a perfect foil for its masses of beautifully colored flowers. Unfortunately, in many areas of its natural habitat, colonies of wild bush lilies have been destroyed by harvesting for traditional medicine; the plants are extremely toxic but are used medicinally for various purposes.

Bush lily makes a spectacular indoor plant, due to its tolerance of low light levels and need for little to no water during the winter. Although it is one of those rare plants that actually blooms best if slightly potbound, its roots are perennial, and the plant resents root disturbance (which usually displays as a skipped flowering cycle).

Bush lily (Clivia miniata) is in the Arid Greenhouse, by the southernmost door.

Cape jasmine (Tabernaemontana divaricata 'Flore Pleno'), a member of the Apocynaceae (dogbane) family, is a showy tropical shrub with extremely fragrant, nocturnal, double white, 1.5-inch flowers with crimped or wavy corollas. Its glossy 6- by 2-inch leaves are elliptic and wavy-margined, colored mid- to dark green above and pale green beneath, and its many-branched foliage tends to grow almost parallel to the ground, giving the shrub an attractive horizontal aspect.

The species name, divaricata, means "at an obtuse angle." A fast and easy grower, it reaches a height of 6 feet and a width of 5 to 8 feet. Native to parts of India, China, and Thailand, this plant thrives in full sun or partial shade, where temperatures are above 50 degrees in moist and fertile soil. Somewhat drought- and heat-tolerant, the cape jasmine is grown for its ornamental features and grows very well in containers. Like many members of the Apocynaceae family, the stems of cape jasmine exude a milky latex when broken.

Cape jasmine (Tabernaemontana divaricata 'Flore Pleno') can be found in the Semitropical Greenhouse near the south door.

Ecuador angel's trumpet (Brugmansia versicolor) is a large shrub or small tree that grows up to 15 feet tall and wide, bearing immense (12- to 20-inch), pendulous, peach-colored, heavenly scented flowers. A member of the Solanaceae (potato) family, it is a native of the Guayaquil Basin in Ecuador. It thrives in sun or shade with moderate watering and flowers perennially with the largest bloom of all the Brugmansia.

This genus was initially grouped with Daturas by the famous botanist Carl Linné (who documented them in 1753 from a drawing and not from live plant material). In 1805, South African taxonomist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon created a separate genus for Brugmansia, but it was not until 1973 that Tom E. Lockwood created a final division between the two genera.

Like the closely related Datura, Ecuador angel's trumpet is exceptionally poisonous if ingested in large quantities. It contains various alkaloids that have toxic properties which affect the mind and body. Some of these alkaloids include atropine and scopolamine. Whether swallowed or inhaled, the flowers, leaves, and seeds will most likely cause symptoms of hallucinations, dry mouth, muscle weakness, increased pulse and blood pressure, fever, dilated pupils, and paralysis. So enjoy this beautiful plant, but don't eat the flowers!

Ecuador angel's trumpet (Brugmansia versicolor) can be found in the Tropical Greenhouse just east of the Palm Allée.

Fantasy Valley Starburst epidendrum orchid (Epidendrum Fantasy Valley 'Starburst') is a reed-stem orchid with very showy, delicate, bright orange flowers. A member of the Orchidaceae family, it is native to the Western hemisphere, found from South Carolina to Argentina, where it grows in all sorts of locations, including humid jungles; dry tropical forests; sunny, grassy slopes; cool cloud forests; and sandy barrier islands. Many of this genus are relatively easy to grow in rich humus compost. In nature, species can be epiphytic (growing on tree trunks), terrestrial (growing in very loose well drained disturbed soils), or lithophytic (growing on rock).

Fantasy Valley Starburst epidendrum orchid (Epidendrum Fantasy Valley 'Starburst') is planted in the soil on the west side of the Tropical Greenhouse.

Bat plant (Tacca chantrieri) has deep purple, almost black bracts on tall, 20-inch flowering stems. The flowers, which can grow up to 10 inches long, superficially resemble a bat in flight with long whiskers. The foliage of this unusual-looking shade-loving plant resembles Spathiphyllum, and its color and odor attract bats and flies to achieve cross-pollination.

Tacca is a monotypic genus in the Taccadeae family, with a natural population range limited to Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. In some species, the flowers act as traps to ensure that flies crawl around the flowers enough to guarantee the transfer of pollen. Tubers from one species in this genus are used as a source of starch (Tahiti arrowroot), while the leaves of a second are used to make hats; a third has medicinal properties.

Bat plant (Tacca chantrieri) is blooming in the lower level of the Tropical Greenhouse.

Aloe burgerfortensis is one of more than 200 species of aloe native to southern Africa, the island of Madagascar, and the Arabian peninsula. Given their genus name by Linnaeus in 1753, aloes have been known for thousands of years. Their images appear in bushman rock art, and the genus name derives from the Greek alsos, referring to the leaves' bitter sap. This succulent's unusual, brightly colored, downward-angled orange flowers, and attractive variegated foliage make it a stand-out. The waxy leaves have sunken pores that prevent water loss.

Many aloes are used as ornamentals, while the juice of others is utilized in purgatives, for the treatment of boils, in shampoo and cosmetics, and for tanning leather.

Aloe burgerfortensis is in the Arid Greenhouse, near the base of the ponytail palms.

Flowering bush coleus (Plectranthus thyrsoideus) is a 35-inch shrubby perennial herb with fragrant foliage and tall spikes of blue flowers that are valued for being one of the rare "true blue" flowers. Its leaves are bright green on top and paler beneath, with coarsely toothed margins, and grow smaller toward the tops of the branches. A member of the Labiatae (mint) family, this genus contains 300 species found in the Old World and tropical regions. Other species are used in shampoo, medicine, and flavorings, as well as edible tubers and ornamentals.

Classified earlier under the genus name Coleus (which is still in its common name), this genus was eventually split into two — Plectranthus and Solenostemon, the latter of which is the genus commonly found in our summer perennial gardens.

Flowering bush coleus (Plectranthus thyrsoideus) blooms throughout the winter season in the Semitropical Greenhouse.

Chirita (Chirita 'Aiko') is an interesting member of the African violet (Gesneriaceae) family, an excellent choice for the windowsill or light garden. A hybrid of C. eburnea and C. subrhomboidea, it reaches a compact height of 6 to 12 inches with yellow flower sprays clustered on the ends of the outreaching stems. The abundant, bright yellow flowers open one at a time from buds at the end of the flowering stalks, above medium green, quilted foliage. Grown in moist soil, it's a strong and vigorous plant appreciated both for blooming during the cooler months of the year and for remaining contained. The plant does not set seed and is propagated by leaf cuttings. Genus Chirita contains 77 species, all of which are native to the Indo-Malaysian region.

Chirita 'Aiko' can be found growing in the Semitropical Greenhouse, tucked between the gardenia and walking iris.

Blue Springs penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus var. purdyi 'Blue Springs') is a short-statured seasonal plant with almost luminous, intense blue-purple, bell-shaped flowers on short, 6- to 12-inch spikes with blue-green foliage. Much loved by hummingbirds and butterflies, its dense and compact growth habit reaches a maximum size of 14 inches in height and spread. Once established in full sun, it will live long and prosper in low fertility soil with little summer water. A superb choice for dry gardens and containers, this penstemon is deer-resistant and drought-tolerant. This genus contains 250 species, all native to the American west. Many of these herbaceous perennials and small woody shrubs are used as ornamentals.

Blue Springs penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus var. purdyi 'Blue Springs') is at the far west end of the Arid Greenhouse.