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good native alternative to buddleia (butterfly bush)

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Red Dragon Flower, formerly known as Huernia schneideriana but now classified as Ceropegia, is native to South Africa and has branching upright, to pendant trailing stems with soft "teeth" along the edges. From spring to fall, this fast growing succulent produces small dark burgundy-red flowers at the base of the stems. I purchased my Red Dragon Flower many years ago as a little 2 stemmed plant in a tiny pot with no label and I called it "peanut plant" because it looked like two little green peanuts. My plant doesn't bloom very often but it's an interesting plant just the same. The stems often fall off when bumped but can be stuck back in the soil, where they root fairly quickly. If our weather is particularly humid, I leave the cuttings lying out to callous over for a few days before planting. I've read that the flowers of this plant have a putrid smell, but I've never detected any odor, possibly because the plant remains outside year round.

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I thought the foliage on this Philodendron was interesting when I purchased it in October 2007, and I really love it now that it's matured. An easy Philo in my opinion.

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I received a single little "pup" of Callisia fragrans from a gardening friend in 2007 and I've come to really love this plant. It is used as a ground cover in some areas, but I grow it as a container plant because of its non-native invasive characteristics here in Florida. It especially looks great in a hanging basket, allowing the stems with many pups to cascade over the sides of the basket. This plant does well in both full sun as well as shade and the blooms are very fragrant!

I was told that this plant is listed as a Category II non-native invasive species in Florida, so I grow it only as a container plant.

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I know this plant as Yucca guatemalensis with Synonyms of Y. elephantipes and Y. gigantea. I'm not sure which is actually correct, but Spineless Yucca, a/k/a Giant yucca can grow to heights of 30'. It has the white bell-shaped blooms of other Yuccas and long 4' serrated leaves. With age, the trunk becomes thick and develops a swollen base with branches near the base.

I have a few of these Spineless Yuccas in my yard. The original came from a lopped-off stem of a neighbor's plant a couple of years ago. Cuttings root easily and I have shared a few with family, friends and other neighbors. In my experience, the ones planted in full sun grow much faster than those in shady locations.

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I'm not much into cacti and succulents and don't know much about this plant. I purchased mine in 2009 because I loved the look of the foliage! It suffered a bit from our last two extremely cold winters but is still hanging around! I took cuttings this past spring and they rooted quickly so I had a plant to share with my niece.

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American Beautyberry is an attractive deciduous shrub that attains heights to 6'. Tiny pink flowers appear in spring and early summer, followed by tight clusters of deep purple berries in the fall that are a food source to birds and other wildlife. American Beautyberry prefers a shady location and is very drought tolerant.

One of my neighbors considers this plant a weed and has removed it from her yard, but I love the plant in my backyard. I think the little flowers are quite striking but I really love the look of the berries when they turn the deep purple color in the fall.

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Madagascar Periwinkle is a semi-woody evergreen subshrub native and endemic to Madagascar. The plant attains heights of 3' and a spread of 2-3'. It has escaped cultivation and naturalized in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It grows in full sun as well as shade and seems to do well in poor soil.

Here in Florida the Madagascar Periwinkle is considered a weed by many, popping up in flower beds and lawns, as well as cracks in cement walkways and driveways.

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Asparagus Fern is a rapidly growing evergreen plant with arching, cascading branches of needlelike leaves. It forms large clumps that attain heights of @ 3 feet and widths to 4 feet. The plant looks soft and fernlike, but there are thorns present on the branches. It produces tiny white blooms followed by small red berries that attract birds.

Asparagus Fern has become invasive in Central and South Florida, disrupting native plants. It grows in my yard in full sun, as well as in full shade, and it is extremely drought tolerant.

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Cape Honeysuckle is a rampantly growing evergreen shrub but if you do not keep it pruned to maintain the shrub form it can easily scramble up to 25 feet in height. This plant travels along the ground by runners and it scrambles and trails through fences and onto nearby shrubs as well as up into the canopy of nearby trees. During the winter and spring Cape Honeysuckle produces beautiful clusters of red-orange blooms that attracts hummingbirds. This plant will survive in partial shade but prefers full sun to bloom well.

Here in Florida, Cape Honeysuckle has escaped cultivation and has become established in some areas.

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Unable to find registration with the AHS, hybridizer: Wild, 2004?

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Lantana camara is a lovely ornamental shrub that has become naturalized in some areas, especially the Atlantic coastal plains from Georgia to Florida. It colonizes when birds disperse seeds and it spreads quickly. It prefers warmth and humidity, will thrive in shade or full sun, is extremely drought tolerant and has no known pests or diseases. Lantana grows in a wide variety of areas here in Florida, forests, citrus groves, pastures and along roadsides. It is listed as a Category 1 invasive in Florida. This plant is toxic to cattle and other grazing livestock.

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The Sharp-pod Morning Glory is a native found in the Southeastern U.S. from North Carolina southward, throughout Florida, and west into Texas. The leaves are deeply lobed with a pointed tip. This plant became somewhat of a pest in the garden at our old house. Originally a gift from the birds, it took over and displaced other ornamentals, completely killing out some dwarf Azaleas. I dug and yanked it out but found it difficult to completely eradicate ... it readily reseeds and sprouts everywhere, including the lawn! When we moved in November 2011 apparently some of it tagged along because I found it sprouting in a couple of container plants.

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The Arrowhead plant is a perennial, woody vine capable of climbing to heights of 12 feet or more. The leaves change shape with the stages of growth, adult leaves being much more lobed than the juvenile form. The Arrowhead vine makes a nice house plant, preferring warmth and humidity, low light to bright shade but no direct sun. Stem cuttings are easily rooted for additional plants.


Toxicity: This plant contains calcium oxalates which cause irritation to the lips, tongue and throat and severe mouth pain if eaten. It's best to keep this one away from small children and pets who might nibble your plants!

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I am successfully growing 'Macho Mocha' here in zone 7a with adequate winter protection.

Pups and the parent plant can display different coloration. The amount of direct sunlight will also affect color.

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This plant went through many days of 100+ temperatures without wilting, I call this a heat and drought tolerant plant.

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Plant is poisonous if consumed in large quantities but safe as a flavoring.

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Creeping Daisy, a native of tropical Central America, is a creeping, mat-forming herb with pretty yellow daisylike blooms. It has become naturalized in other tropical areas of the world where it has escaped cultivation. When the stems of Creeping Daisy touch the ground, they take root and spread, forming a dense ground cover. In some areas the plant is considered invasive, displacing native plants.

This plant has become a ground cover in my back yard, trailing through half of the lawn, where it's displacing the sod. It started with a single node leaf cutting that I first grew in a hanging basket. It eventually escaped the basket and took root in a flower bed, spreading to the lawn. That's not necessarily a bad thing because it doesn't seem to need the water and fertilizer the sod requires!

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It's a gorgeous semp!

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I love the change Exorna goes through. It looks so different. Can you tell us what date the first picture was taken?

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