Pronounced (seh-seh-lee goo-me-fair-um)
Fast facts:

• commonly known as moon carrot
• in the Apiaceae family, which includes celery, carrots, and parsley
• loves full sun, can tolerate part shade, and is drought tolerant

Quite similar to the habit of Angelica pachycarpa, this semi-evergreen is technically a biannual, that can be forced to be perennial by pruning the flowers to the ground as soon as they die and before they go to seed. If choosing not to maintain them in this way, they will behave as a biannual by blooming their second year, and then self-seeding. A quirky addition to a drought tolerant landscape, this wonderful specimen is showing without much maintenance work at all. Silvery fern-like leaves emerge from a central growing stem, with large umbels of white flowers emerging the second year. Does not die back in the winters in Portland, lending it to be a semi-evergreen rather than a true perennial. Not commonly seen in many Portland gardens, though it is an excellent choice for the gardener or homeowner seeking a unique, low maintenance, and drought tolerant landscape!

Pronounced: (cal-uh-thee-ah mah-coy-ahn-uh)
Fast facts:

• commonly known as 'peacock plant' or 'cathedral windows'
• a flowering tropical evergreen low shrub that is native to Brazil
• non-toxic to cats and dogs
• member of the family 'marantaceae' of which prayer plants are also a member, though in a different genus (maranta)

A revered genus, Calathea are truly a crowd pleaser that will not fail to impress with their showy foliage. The peacock plant, as well as other members of this genus, love high humidity environments and its important to be mindful of not placing them directly in front of heating or air conditioning vents. They will not appreciate the dry air! Small ways to increase humidity are by placing bowls of water near plants, grouping plants together, or setting plants on a tray of water filled with pebbles so that water is underneath plants, but not touching the pots. Medium-to-low lighting conditions are best, and the soil would like to be moist to touch, but not soggy. To achieve this, it can be helpful to plant into a medium with proportional amounts of peat moss and perlite. Fertilizing these plants on alternating weeks during the growing season will aid in healthy growth. Browning at tips is somewhat common in a home environment, and is usually due to a lack of humidity, or fluoride present in the water. In happy conditions, the peacock plant will reward you with blooms of small purple flowers!