Asclepias incarnata

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

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Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is a drought-tolerant plant with a strong taproot, making it ideal for areas with limited water. It can thrive in pots with good drainage and regular watering, and appreciates occasional light fertilization and weed-free conditions.

This Missouri native plant grows well in grows in USDA zones 9-11. It is clump-forming and grows 3-4 feet tall on branching stems. It is commonly found in swamps, river bottomlands, and wet meadows in the state. Its small, fragrant flowers are pink to mauve and have five reflexed petals and an elevated central crown. These flowers appear in tight clusters at the ends of the stems in the summer and are a popular nectar source for butterflies, particularly the Monarch butterfly. The plant also produces attractive seed pods, which split open to release silky-haired seeds when ripe.

The genus name of swamp milkweed honors the Greek god of medicine, Asklepios, while the specific epithet refers to the flesh-colored flowers. This plant is easy to grow in full sun and tolerates average, well-drained soils in cultivation, despite being native to swamps and wet meadows. Its deep taproots make it best left undisturbed once established, and its foliage may take longer to emerge in the spring. Swamp milkweed is suitable for sunny borders, stream or pond banks, and butterfly gardens, and it is a good plant for moist areas in the landscape. However, it is important to note that its stems exude a toxic milky sap when cut.

Asclepias perennis

Found in low wet woods, cypress swamps, lake and pond margins, slow streams, and wet ditches.Like all members of the Asclepias genus, it is a larval host plant for Monarch, Queen and Soldier butterflies. Swamp milkweed works well in mixed butterfly and wildflower gardens planted along pond edges or similar moist sites. It also does well in a container.

Bambusa sp.

All tropical forms of bamboo are fast growing plants that can reach tree-like proportions. It is more than just a decorative plant, is also a major producer of oxygen, great to have around. Bamboo is the most fast growing plant in the world. Some varieties were reported to grow as much as 3-4 ft a day. The plant requires moist soil, can tolerate a few days of flooding, but won't tolerate soggy conditions for a very long time.

Bambusa vulgaris, a stylish oriental plant, is the bamboo to thrive indoors. With an excellent life expectancy it can be relied upon to create a long and lasting impression. There are 3 varieties sold under Bambusa vulgaris: Bambusa vulgaris (yellow stems), Bambusa ventricosa (green, bumpy stems), and Bambusa siamensis (smooth green stems). It is advisable to plant them in a large pot because they can die if the root ball is allowed to dry out. Can torerate a small amount of light. B. melangensis - one of the most fast and tall growing varieties. Most of bamboo are hardy to frost, and some are hardy to as low as 16-18F.

Barringtonia acutangula

Barringtonia acutangula is native to coastal wetlands in southern Asia and northern Australasia, from Afghanistan east to the Philippines and Queensland. The plant is used medicinally in fold remedies. Its bark contains potent opioid painkillers

Barringtonia asiatica, Mammea asiatica, Barringtonia speciosa, Agasta asiatica, Butonica rumphina

Barringtonia asiatica, often called Sea Poison Tree, is native to Coastal areas of India, Madagascar, Philippines and Polynesia and can be used for bonsai. It is a small tree that can reach between 10-20 ft (3-6m), preferring full sun and moist soil. It produces fragrant, pink and white-off white flowers, often also attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. The plant is flood tolerant and tolerant of sea salt, making it an ideal choice for seaside plantings. It is poisonous or toxic and grown in USDA Zone 9-11. In colder regions, it can be grown in a pot with care.

This deciduous tree has large leaves held in rosettes at the ends of the branches, with young leaves being a beautiful bronze with pinkish veins. Old leaves may turn yellowish. Flowers are delightful puff balls of white stamens tipped with pink, which open at night and attract moths and nectar-feeding bats with their heavy scent. The fruits of the Sea Poison Tree take the shape of a lantern, with the outermost layer of the fruit wall being green and turning brown when ripe. The middle layer is spongy and contains air sacs to help the fruit float, and the innermost layer is hard and thick to protect the seed.

The plant has many ethnomedical uses, particularly in areas where it is native. The heated leaves are used to treat stomach ache and rheumatism (Philippines), while seeds are used to get rid of intestinal worms. Its saponin-rich parts are pounded, pulped or grated to release the poison and used to stun fish in freshwater streams, while the floating seeds are sometimes used as fishing floats. Easily reproduced by seeds, Barringtonia asiatica is a colorful and fragrant tree, making it a great choice for roadside plantings and other seaside plantings.