Complete Plant Guide

Easy 💧 4 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Common dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) is a hardy deciduous shrub native to Europe and western Asia, prized for its vivid red winter stems and adaptability. Clusters of small white flowers appear in late spring to summer, followed by black berries, with foliage turning red-purple in autumn.

1010

Red Osier Dogwood

Cornus sericea

The red osier dogwood is a fast-growing, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub native to much of North America, prized above all for its brilliant red winter stems. Small clusters of creamy white flowers appear in late spring, followed by white berries often tinged with blue that ripen in late summer and feed songbirds and small mammals. In fall the foliage turns shades of orange, red, and purple before dropping to reveal the shrub's fiery bark. It spreads by underground stolons and root suckers to form dense colonies, making it a popular choice for stream banks, rain gardens, and wet or boggy sites where few other shrubs thrive.

1011

Wire-netting Bush

Corokia cotoneaster

Corokia cotoneaster, commonly known as the wire-netting bush or korokio, is a small evergreen shrub endemic to New Zealand. Prized for its distinctive divaricating growth habit — a dense tangle of wiry, interlacing branches — it produces small silver-grey, ovate leaves with felted undersides that shimmer in the breeze. In spring and summer, star-shaped yellow flowers appear along the branches, followed by ornamental red, orange, or yellow berries that persist into winter. Slow-growing and remarkably tough, it tolerates coastal exposure, wind, drought, and frost, making it a favorite for hedging, rock gardens, containers, and bonsai.

1012

Crown Vetch

Coronilla valentina

Coronilla (Coronilla valentina) is a perennial shrub from the legume family, native to the Mediterranean basin, especially Southern Europe and North Africa. It forms a dense, rounded bush 0.8 to 1.5 m tall, with compound leaves made of small, fleshy, bluish-green leaflets, especially in the glauca subspecies. From late winter and throughout spring, it is covered with bright yellow flowers grouped in crowns, with an intense honey scent that is especially noticeable during the day; it often re-blooms in late summer. After the flowers, thin pods appear. It fixes nitrogen in the soil thanks to the nodules on its roots, allowing it to thrive in poor soils. The glauca subspecies and the 'Citrina' variety have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

1013

Ice Plant

Corpuscularia lehmannii

Corpuscularia lehmannii, popularly known as the Ice Plant or String of Buttons, is a compact, perennial succulent from the Aizoaceae family, native to the Western Cape region of South Africa. It forms small clusters of fleshy, cylindrical leaves that are slightly translucent at the tips, featuring a grayish-green to bluish hue that resembles grouped "fingers" or buttons. In late spring and early summer, it produces small yellow daisy-like flowers that open during the day under sunlight. It is a slow-to-moderate growing plant, highly drought-resistant and low-maintenance, making it ideal for rock gardens, shallow pots, and succulent arrangements.

1014

Purple pampas grass

Cortaderia jubata

Cortaderia jubata is a giant perennial grass from the Andes (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and northern Argentina), related to pampas grass (C. selloana). It forms tussocks of long, narrow leaves up to 2 m, with edges sharp enough to cut skin and densely hairy sheaths. From late summer into fall it sends up stiff stems 2 to 4 m tall (occasionally up to 7 m) topped by plumes that open deep violet, turn pink and mature creamy white. All plants are female and set seed without pollination (apomixis): one plant can release close to a million wind-borne seeds. That is why it has become invasive on the California coast and in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, and why sale and planting have been banned in the European Union since 2019.

1015

Pampas Grass

Cortaderia selloana

Hard 💧 3 days ☀️ Low light

Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) is a large, ornamental perennial grass native to the South American pampas. It forms impressive clumps of long, arching, razor-sharp leaves and produces spectacular feathery plumes in white, cream, or pink from summer through autumn, reaching up to 10 feet tall.

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1016

violet webcap

Cortinarius violaceus

Cortinarius violaceus, commonly known as the violet webcap, is a spectacular fungus in the Cortinariaceae family. It is distinguished by its deep violet, almost black color and the velvety texture of both its cap and stem. It is a mycorrhizal species, forming complex symbiotic relationships with trees such as deciduous hardwoods (beech) or conifers.

1017

Scouler's fumewort

Corydalis scouleri

Medium 💧 3 days ☀️ Partial shade

Corydalis scouleri, known as Scouler's fumewort, is a robust woodland perennial native to the coastal forests of Washington and Oregon, where it colonizes rich, moist bottomland along shaded stream banks. It forms broad clumps up to about 90 cm tall of tiered, lacy blue-green foliage, topped in spring and early summer by upright racemes of slender, spurred tubular flowers in pink to mauve. It typically goes dormant by late summer.

1018

Common Hazel

Corylus avellana

Common Hazel (Corylus avellana) is a deciduous shrub or small tree native to Europe and Western Asia, from the British Isles to the Caucasus and Turkey. It typically reaches a height of 3–6 meters with a broad, multi-stemmed growth habit, forming dense thickets and hedgerows. The leaves are round to oval with doubly serrated margins and a characteristic rough texture; in autumn, they turn golden yellow. The female flowers are remarkably discreet – only the bright red stigmas are visible from the closed buds – while the male catkins hang in long, yellowish-green clusters and are a sure sign of early spring. The hazel is one of the earliest spring shrubs in the Northern European landscape. It flowers as early as January to April, before the leaves emerge, and is pollinated exclusively by wind. Its fruits are the well-known hazelnuts, which ripen in clusters with a cup-shaped involucre in September–October. The nuts are rich in fat (up to 60%), protein, and vitamin E, and have been an important food source for humans in Europe since the Stone Age. Hazel grows at forest edges, in hedgerows, scrublands, and along watercourses, and is a key species for biodiversity: its early pollen is crucial for bees, and it hosts the larvae of over 70 butterfly and moth species. The shrub is extremely hardy and adaptable; it thrives in almost all soil types, from sandy soil to clay, and from sea level to the mountains. It spreads naturally via suckers and can be effectively rejuvenated by coppicing – a traditional management method that both extends the shrub's lifespan and produces flexible, pliable wood suitable for weaving (hazel rods). In Denmark, hazel is a characteristic element of oak forests and scrublands throughout the country.

1019

Turkish Hazel

Corylus colurna

Easy 💧 7 days ☀️ Direct sun

Corylus colurna, the Turkish hazel, is a large deciduous tree native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. Recognized for its symmetrical pyramidal form and outstanding tolerance to urban conditions, heat, cold, and drought, it produces edible hazelnuts enclosed in distinctive hairy husks.

1020

Giant Filbert

Corylus maxima

Corylus maxima, the giant filbert, is a vigorous deciduous shrub or small tree native to the Balkan Peninsula and parts of southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia. Closely related to the common hazel (Corylus avellana), it is distinguished by its edible nuts enclosed in a long, tubular husk that extends well beyond the shell. Grown both for its nut harvest and, in purple-leaved cultivars such as Purpurea, as an ornamental garden specimen, it produces striking pale yellow male catkins in late winter that are among the first signs of the growing season.

1021

grey hair-grass

Corynephorus canescens

Easy 💧 10 days ☀️ Direct sun

Grey hair-grass is a perennial, densely tufted grass from the Poaceae family, typically growing 15–30 cm tall. It has narrow, bristly, grey-green to silvery-blue leaves and produces delicate, silvery panicles with a purplish tint in June to July, whose awns have a characteristic club-like shape (hence the Czech name). It is a typical pioneer species of wind-blown sands and open sandy grasslands – in the Czech Republic, it grows scattered in warmer areas of central and northwestern Bohemia (Polabí region) and in South Moravia. It tolerates extreme drought, poor soil, and large temperature fluctuations, and is therefore valued as an undemanding ornamental grass for rock gardens, gravel beds, and containers.

1022

Karaka

Corynocarpus laevigatus

Medium 💧 10 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus) is a stately evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand, prized for its glossy dark-green foliage and orange-yellow drupes. A taonga (treasure) of Māori culture, it was cultivated near settlements as a critical food source — though its seed kernels contain the potent toxin karakin and must be carefully detoxified before consumption. In gardens and coastal landscapes it provides year-round structure and dense shade.

1023

Beehive cactus

Coryphantha

Easy 💧 7 days ☀️ Direct sun

A genus of small to medium cacti, round or column-shaped, growing alone or in clumps. They come from dry parts of Mexico and the south-western United States, where they grow on rocky slopes. The body is covered in tubercles, small bumps tipped with spines, and each tubercle has a groove running from the tip toward the base. That groove is what separates Coryphantha from Mammillaria. The flowers open by day from the top of the plant and are usually yellow, sometimes pink, red or purple. Most stay between 10 and 30 cm, and a few reach 50 cm. There are over 40 species.

1024

Garden Cosmos

Cosmos

Garden Cosmos (Cosmos spp.) is a fast-growing, sun-loving annual flower native to Mexico and the southwestern United States, prized for its airy, fern-like foliage and daisy-like blooms in shades of white, pink, purple, yellow and orange. The genus includes roughly 20-35 species, but almost all garden cultivation centers on Cosmos bipinnatus (pink, white and purple shades) and Cosmos sulphureus (yellow, orange and red shades). Cosmos thrives in poor, well-draining soil and full sun, blooming continuously from summer through fall with minimal care.

1025

Garden cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus

Easy 💧 6 days ☀️ Direct sun

Cosmos bipinnatus, commonly known as Garden Cosmos, is a popular annual flowering plant native to Mexico. It is celebrated for its delicate, feathery foliage and large, daisy-like flowers that bloom in shades of pink, white, and purple. It is a resilient plant that thrives in sunny locations and is a favorite for pollinator gardens as it attracts bees and butterflies.

1026

Sulfur Cosmos

Cosmos sulphureus

Easy 💧 7 days ☀️ Direct sun

Cosmos sulphureus is a vibrant annual herbaceous plant native to Mexico and Central America. It is widely appreciated for its radiant flowers in shades of yellow, orange, and scarlet red, which stand out against finely cut, light green foliage. This species is extremely hardy, heat and drought-resistant, making it a popular choice for low-maintenance gardens and for attracting pollinators such as butterflies and bees.

1027

spiral ginger

Costus

Medium 💧 5 days ☀️ Partial shade

Costus is a genus of tropical plants in the family Costaceae, commonly known as spiral ginger. Named for the characteristic spiral arrangement of their stems and leaves, these striking plants produce showy flower spikes in shades of red, orange, yellow, white, and pink. Native to tropical regions of the Americas, Africa, and Asia, the genus encompasses over 150 species thriving in warm, humid environments. Spiral gingers are prized ornamentals in tropical and subtropical gardens and make excellent indoor specimens in bright, humid spaces. Beyond their ornamental value, several Costus species have a long history of use in traditional medicine across their native ranges.

1028

Arabian Spiral Ginger

Costus arabicus

Medium 💧 3 days ☀️ Partial shade

Costus arabicus, commonly known as Arabian Spiral Ginger, is a tropical evergreen perennial in the family Costaceae. Native to South and Central America, it is prized for its spiraling stems, lush foliage, and attractive white to pink flowers. It thrives in warm, humid environments and is widely grown as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical gardens as well as indoors.

1029

Spiral Ginger

Costus spiralis

Easy 💧 4 days ☀️ Partial shade

Costus spiralis is a tropical plant in the Costaceae family, native to South America. It features distinctive spiral stems and tubular red or orange flowers. Popular in tropical gardens and used medicinally.

1030

Red Button Ginger

Costus woodsonii

Costus woodsonii, commonly known as red button ginger or scarlet spiral-ginger, is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial native to humid forests and coastal scrublands along the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama to Colombia. It forms spiraling stems topped with glossy, overlapping bright red bracts from which small red-and-yellow tubular flowers emerge, blooming almost continuously in warm, humid climates. Popular as a tropical garden accent and container plant, it thrives in bright indirect light to partial sun and evenly moist, well-drained, organically rich soil.

1031

Smoke bush

Cotinus

Cotinus is a genus of seven species of large deciduous shrubs and small trees in the family Anacardiaceae, close relatives of the sumacs (Rhus), native to the warm temperate Northern Hemisphere. The two most grown species are Cotinus coggygria from Europe and Asia and Cotinus obovatus, the American smoketree of the southeastern United States. The leaves are simple, oval and 3 to 13 cm long, and many cultivars have purple, burgundy or golden foliage. The flowers are tiny, but after bloom the branched 15-30 cm clusters are covered in pink or grayish hairs and look like a cloud of smoke over the plant, which gives it its common name. In fall the leaves turn orange, red or purple.

1032

Smoke tree

Cotinus coggygria

Cotinus coggygria, commonly known as the smoke tree or smokebush, is a deciduous ornamental shrub in the Anacardiaceae family, native to dry mountainous areas of Central and Southern Europe and Asia. It is named for its distinctive, smoke-like inflorescences that decorate the plant from mid-summer to autumn with silvery-pink, feathery puffs. The leaves are round-ovate, blue-green in summer, and turn spectacular shades of yellow, red, or purple in autumn. It can reach a height of 4–5 meters with a similar spread. It particularly prefers well-drained soil and full sun, requiring low maintenance due to its drought tolerance.

1033

Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster is a large genus of flowering shrubs in the rose family (Rosaceae), native to the Palearctic region spanning temperate Asia, Europe, and North Africa. With over 300 species, it ranges from low-growing ground cover plants to upright shrubs reaching 5 m tall. Widely cultivated in gardens for year-round ornamental interest: delicate spring flowers, vibrant autumn foliage, and long-lasting decorative red berries in winter that attract birds and pollinators.

1034

Peking Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster acutifolius

Peking cotoneaster is a hardy deciduous shrub native to Siberia, Mongolia, and China, valued for its dense upright habit, glossy dark green leaves, and clusters of small white flowers tinged with pink in late spring. Its dark red to black berries persist into winter, offering food for birds and ornamental interest in the landscape.

1035

Late Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster coriaceus

Late cotoneaster (Cotoneaster coriaceus, widely sold under its synonym Cotoneaster lacteus) is a vigorous evergreen shrub native to the Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, Xizang and Yunnan. It forms a dense, arching mound of leathery, glossy dark-green leaves with felted grey-white undersides, reaching 2.5-4 m in height and spread over 10-20 years. Clusters of small white flowers appear in late spring through summer, followed by long-lasting bright red berries that persist into winter and are a valuable food source for birds. It is a popular choice for informal hedges, screens and wildlife gardens thanks to its toughness and tolerance of poor soils, wind and coastal exposure.

1036

Spreading cotoneaster

Cotoneaster divaricatus

Cotoneaster divaricatus is a deciduous shrub from western China, in the rose family. It is densely branched, upright when young and arching later, reaching 1.5 to 2.4 m tall and wide. The small, glossy leaves turn yellow, orange, red and purple in autumn and hold their colour for weeks. In May and June it bears small white to pink-tinged flowers in threes, partly hidden by the leaves. Egg-shaped red berries, 6 to 12 mm, follow and stay on into winter, attracting birds.

1037

Rockspray Cotoneaster

Cotoneaster horizontalis

Easy 💧 4 days ☀️ Bright indirect

Cotoneaster horizontalis is a low-growing deciduous shrub native to western China, renowned for its distinctive fishbone (herringbone) branching pattern. It produces small pink-white flowers in spring, followed by brilliant scarlet berries in autumn that attract birds. Its dense, horizontal habit makes it excellent for ground cover, wall training, and rockery planting.

1038

Brass Buttons

Cotula

Cotula is a genus of low-growing herbaceous plants, widely used as a groundcover. It forms a dense carpet of finely dissected, fern-like foliage and produces small, yellow, button-shaped flowers without visible petals, which gives it the common name Brass Buttons. It spreads rapidly via creeping stems.

1039

Cotyledon

Cotyledon is a genus of succulent plants in the family Crassulaceae, the same family as jade plant and kalanchoe. It has about 10 to 20 species, almost all from southern Africa, with a few in the drier parts of the rest of the continent up to the Arabian Peninsula. They are small shrubs with fleshy, brittle stems and thick, opposite, evergreen leaves that vary a lot: round and covered in white powder in pig's ear (Cotyledon orbiculata), hairy in bear's paw (Cotyledon tomentosa), wavy in others. The flowers are hanging tubes in orange, red, yellow or pink at the top of long stalks. Size ranges from about 30 cm to over 1 m, depending on the species.

1040

Bear's Paw

Cotyledon ladismithiensis

Cotyledon ladismithiensis, popularly known as Bear's Paw, is a compact shrubby succulent native to the Little Karoo region of South Africa, near Ladismith and Laingsburg. Its fleshy, fuzzy leaves end in reddish-toothed tips that resemble a bear cub's claws, giving rise to its common name. It is a slow-growing plant, widely cultivated as an ornamental indoor and outdoor succulent in mild climates, and belongs to the Crassulaceae family, known for species containing bufadienolides (toxic defense compounds).

1041

Pig's Ear

Cotyledon orbiculata