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Acanthus montanus, also known as African mountain acanthus, False Thistle, Bear's breech, Mountain Thistle, and Alligator Plant, is a thinly branched unusual perennial with interesting foliage, basal clusters of oblong to lance-shaped glossy, dark green leaves reaching up to 12 inches long. The leaves have silver marks and wavy margins. It produces showy pink flowers in the summer to fall. It is said it is cold hardy to zone 9. The plant looks better in filtered light.

Several species, especially A. balcanicus, A. spinosus and A. mollis, are grown as ornamental plants.

Maple is a widespread deciduous tree popular in eastern North America.

Many of its features, especially its leaves, are quite variable in form. Among these features it is best known for its brilliant deep scarlet foliage in autumn. Red Maple is adaptable to a very wide range of site conditions. It can be found growing in swamps, on poor dry soils, and most anywhere in between. Elevation is also not a limiting factor in its range. Due to its attractive fall foliage and pleasing form, it is often used as a shade tree for landscapes. It is used commercially on a small scale for maple syrup production as well as for its medium to high quality lumber. It is the State Tree of Rhode Island. It is very cold hardy.

Maple is a very popular plant in Japan and a subject for bonsai. Autumn in Japan is celebrated with colorful autumn leaves known as momijigari. The foliage of trees light up the Japanese landscape. Scarlet Japanese maples flash against emerald conifers, this is the beauty of momijigari as you view the spectacular colors of changing leaves.

The maples have long been known to be closely related to the family Sapindaceae.

The fast-growing, climbing vine is very hardy, and is capable of surviving slow temperature drops to -34 C (-30 F), although young shoots can be vulnerable to frost in the spring. This vine needs a strong (vines are heavy) support structure on which to grow such as a trellis, arbor, patio overhead, fence or wall.

Kiwifruit is native to southern China, and has been declared the national fruit of that country. Other species of Actinidia are also found in China and range east to Japan and north into southeastern Siberia. The true Chinese gooseberry (A. sinensis) is native to China. Almost all kiwifruit in commerce belong to a few cultivars of Actinidia deliciosa, and those fruit that we find at local markets is grown in New Zealand. This name "kiwifruit" comes from the kiwi — a brown flightless bird and New Zealand's national symbol, and also a colloquial name for the New Zealand people.

The oblong fruits are up to 3" long. The russet-brown skin of the fruits is densely covered with short, stiff brown hairs. The flesh is firm until fully ripen; it is glistening, juicy and luscious. The color of the flesh is bright-green, or sometimes yellow, brownish or off-white, except for the white, succulent center from which radiate many fine, pale lines.

This lovely twiner with its fuzzy leaves, is ideal for trellis growing. The plant is a vigorous, woody vine (liana) or climbing shrub. Young leaves are coated with red hairs; mature leaves are dark-green and hairless on the upper surface, downy-white with prominent, light-colored veins beneath. The flowers are fragrant, dioecious or bisexual. Male and female flowers appear on different plants and both sexes have to be planted in close proximity for fruit set. Bees are normally used by commercial orchards, although the more labor intensive hand pollination is sometimes employed. Male flowers are gathered and processed to extract their pollen. This is then sprayed back on to the female flowers.

Actinidia kolomikta is an ornamental plant for gardens and a houseplant. This species needs both a male and female plant to produce its sweet, grape-sized fruit.

The plant is attractive to cats, which find it more attractive than catnip or valerian and can severely damage the vine.