Mrs. James' Favorite Plant

Some couples might say that marriage is a lot like a garden. Both need lots of love and attention to flourish. Master gardener Paul James would probably agree, as he pots a Euryops pectinatus 'Viridis', his wife's favorite plant. Though it doesn't have a common name, Paul calls it an "overgrown daisy" and pots it in a large container to handle its growing up to five feet tall during the growing season. Yellow daisy-like flowers will bloom for several months as long are you deadhead, or remove spent flowers every other day or so.

A versatile plant, the plant can be grown in USDA Zones 8 to 11 as an evergreen. Paul has seen it in tropical and subtropical gardens as either a single shrub or hedge: "You can also train it as a standard, a treelike form with a straight trunk, topped by a whole bunch of flowers and foliage."

But on their patio, Paul and his wife can enjoy their plant as an annual until the temperature drops below freezing.