Very slow-growing and long-lived, award-winning Cycas revoluta (Sago Palm) is a palm-like evergreen perennial with a very attractive rosette of shiny, arching, pinnate leaves, up to 2-5 ft. long (60-150 cm), atop a rugged upright trunk. Resistant to salt and drought, it can survive short periods at 15ºF (-9ºC). Popular as an ornamental plant throughout the world, it makes an eye-catching specimen and looks superb in a container.

Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba' (Century Plant) is an evergreen perennial forming splendid rosettes of thick, spiny-edged, gray-green leaves, each with a bright creamy-white central stripe. The fleshy leaves are armed with recurved spines along the edges and a long terminal spine. Mature plants are topped with a magnificent flower stalk that can reach 15 ft. (450 cm), and bears large greenish-yellow flowers. The exquisite variegation of the gracefully undulating leaves, added to the lovely fountain shape of this plant, make 'Mediopicta Alba' one of the most prized of agaves.

Adding a majestic presence to the garden, Aloe marlothii (Mountain Aloe) is a large evergreen succulent forming a dense rosette of fleshy, grayish green leaves, up to 5 ft. long (150 cm), with a broad base tapering to a sharp point. They are covered with reddish-brown spines along the edges and randomly on their upper and lower surfaces. The old leaves remain after they have dried, forming a 'petticoat' on the stem. Single-stemmed, Mountain Aloe produces a spreading, branched panicle with up to 30 racemes borne more or less horizontally. The tubular flowers vary from orange-red to yellow or bright red.

Prized for its graceful foliage, Agave vilmoriniana (Octopus Agave) is an evergreen succulent perennial adding great interest in the landscape. It forms a solitary rosette of long, slender, gray-green leaves that arch and undulate, resembling the tentacles of an octopus. The toothless edges of the leaves curl inward, particularly around the tips. Spectacular golden-yellow flowers atop a 10-20 ft. spike appear on mature plants. This plant is monocarpic and dies after flowering. While it does not offset and form pups, it produces abundant plantlets along the bloom spike that you may want to replant in order to ensure a continuing presence of this beauty in the garden.

Perfect for rocky areas, Aloe petricola (Stone Aloe) is an evergreen succulent forming a stemless solitary rosette of long blue-gray leaves with broad bases and narrow tips. The fleshy leaves curve inwards, giving a rounded appearance to the rosette. They feature scattered thorns on their upper and lower surfaces as well as sharp, brown teeth along their margins. It produces beautiful, densely packed racemes of bicolored flowers that attract nectar-feeding birds. Red to orange in buds, the flowers open to creamy-yellow or greenish white. While younger plants produce only one unbranched inflorescence, mature plants can display up to 3-6 branches.

Native to South Africa, Aloe ferox (Cape Aloe) is a large and showy, evergreen succulent forming a dense rosette of blue-green, lance-shaped leaves, often flushed with rose, up to 3 ft. long (90 cm). Each leaf is adorned with dark brown spines along the edges and on the leaf surfaces, especially on the lower surface. The old leaves remain after they have dried, forming a 'petticoat' on the stem. Single-stemmed, Cape Aloe produces bright red-orange, tubular flowers with dark orange stamens protruding from the mouth. Long-lasting, they are held above the foliage in a very showy, large candelabra-like inflorescence with 5 to 8 branches.

Punica granatum (Pomegranate) is a multi-stemmed, upright-oval to spreading rounded shrub, prized for its orange-sized edible fruit and its ornamental qualities. Its numerous slender branches are clothed with lustrous, narrowly oblong, rich green leaves, that emerge bronze in spring. Evergreen in warm winter areas, they change to soft yellow-green, sometimes brilliant yellow, in the fall. Blooming throughout the summer, beautiful funnel-shaped, crepe paper, bright scarlet flowers are borne at the branch tips. Shining against the foliage, they are followed by spherical, reddish-brown, leathery-skinned fruits.

Showy and vigorous, Cordyline australis 'Red Star' (Cabbage Palm) is a palm-like, sub-tropical tree with arching, sword-like, dark burgundy leaves. Adding drama year-round with its bold color and tropical look, this beautiful palm introduces substance to the garden. It produces impressive panicles of small, sweetly scented white flowers in late spring to early summer, on mature plants. Often seen as a specimen gracing a terrace or deck, it is also well-suited to both traditional and contemporary planting schemes.

Fast-growing, x Chitalpa tashkentensis (Chitalpa) is a small to medium-sized, deciduous tree adorned with a low, rounded, umbrella or vase shaped canopy of narrow, pointed, medium green leaves, 6 in. long (15 cm). From midsummer until early fall, ravishing conical panicles of 15-40 trumpet-shaped, pink to white flowers, 1 in. across (2.5 cm), bloom dramatically at the branch tips. The pale grayish-white bark is an interesting silhouette in winter with its naked branches. Chitalpa is an intergeneric cross between Catalpa bignonioides and Chilopsis linearis. It is sterile and does not produce messy seed pods.

Washingtonia filifera (California Fan Palm) is a medium to large evergreen palm with a tree-like growth habit. It has a sturdy columnar trunk crowned by beautifully shaped, fan-like, waxy gray-green blades, up to 3-6 ft. long (90-180 cm). Easy to grow and exotic-looking, Washingtonia filifera is quite cold-hardy and can survive short periods at 23ºF (-5ºC).