Plant

Moneywort is a creeping perennial broadleaf weed that is also commonly known as Creeping Loosestrife, Yellow Myrtle, Creeping Jenny, Creeping Charlie, Herb Twopence and Two-penny Grass. Its scientific name is Lysimachia nummularia.

Moneywort forms mats of laterally branched stems and can be easily identified by the smooth, glandular dots on the surface of its leaves. This broadleaf weed also has short petioles and stems that root at the nodes, producing a shallow root system. Moneywort is sometimes sold in nurseries as a ground cover. Moneywort also has bright-yellow flowers that are produced individually on stalks in the leaf axils.

Hummingbird plants are bushy plants that reach heights of 2 feet (1 m.), with a spread of about 3 feet (1 m.). The velvety leaves and stems are an attractive shade of grayish-green. Masses of bright, reddish-orange flowers at stem tips are upright and tube-shaped, making it easy for hummingbirds to reach the sweet nectar.

This plant hugs the ground and blooms most of the year. The leaves are small and thick, and the pretty little flowers look like miniature asters. The most common variety has bright red blossoms, but it's also available with golden yellow blooms. The blossoms aren't elaborately showy since they're so small...but they have the added benefit of attracting hummingbirds. But these plants shine as groundcovers for smaller areas and as rock garden plants, rather than using them to fill vast expanses of garden bed.

This plant won't get away from you like some groundcover plants. It grows at a leisurely pace and makes a beautiful container plant.

Available mostly in December

Mandevilla, also known as rocktrumpet, is a genus of flowering vines that grow in tropical and subtropical climates. The five-petal flowers are often showy and fragrant, typically coming in shades of pink, red, and white, occasionally with yellow throats. They generally bloom in summer and can stretch into fall, though in warm climates they can bloom year-round. Some species within the genus have smaller, more plentiful blooms while others have fewer, larger blooms. Their foliage is usually a glossy green.

As hedge bushes go, this one is stellar for sculpting in a narrow-depth space - and shearing for a very tidy, manicured look. In other words, a neat freak's garden nirvana.

It's so easy to shape that this plant is used for topiaries.