A woody plant native to East Asia, the japanese maple features hand-shaped leaves with five-pointed lobes that resemble the palm of a hand. It has been cultivated for millennia in Japan for bonsai creation. Extracts from the branches and leaves of this plant are used as medicine in Chinese traditional medicine.

The bigleaf hydrangea is a deciduous shrub native to Japan, and is known for its lush, oval, colorful inflorescence. The two types of Hydrangea macrophylla are mopheads - with large, ball-shaped, sterile flower clusters, and lace capes - with small round fertile flowers in the center, and sterile flowers on the outer side of each inflorescence. Depending on soil pH, blooms can change color from pink to blue.

Linden Arrowwood (Viburnum dilatatum) is a deciduous shrub that will grow from 1.8 to 2.5 m tall. It blooms from late spring to early summer with clusters of fragrant, creamy white flowers. Produces bright red berries in fall that attract a variety of birds. Dark green foliage turns to shades of bronze and burgundy-red in fall. For abundant fruit, plant two or more shrubs close together.

Soybean (Glycine max) was domesticated by the Chinese 6,000 to 9,000 years ago. In the eighteenth century, Europeans used soybean for ornamental purposes. It’s a versatile plant grown both for consumption and as an ingredient in manufactured products. It was even used by Henry Ford to make plastic parts for his Model T.

Japanese Snowbell is a deciduous flowering tree native to Japan China and Korea. This smaller-sized tree makes a lovely ornamental with its slightly fragrant white bell-shaped blossoms that bloom spring to summer. Its leaves turn yellow to orange in the fall before dropping.

Japanese bird cherry is a deciduous tree of Rosaceae. Its Japanese name comes from the grooved board used in ancient tortoise shell divination. It can be distinguished from the similar Inu cherry, its inflorescence branches with leaves.

Height 15 to 30 cm. There are no bulbs and white and slightly thick rhizomes. The flowering season is from spring to summer with a white flower of about 1 cm in bloom at the tip of the stem and a black berry after the flower.

Japanese callicarpa fruit is an important food source for deer and various bird species. This plant is grown ornamentally for its attractive flowers and fruit, and it is a good pioneer species that can be used to revegetate degraded soils.

The japanese tree clethra is a dense, deciduous shrub. It produces fragrant white flowers that are attractive to bees and butterflies. Its showy and fragrant blooms add value to gardens and can grow up to 2.5 m high. It has received the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

The tree blooms in spring forming axillary flower clusters about 5 mm and yellow-green in color. It is dioecious and the flowers of the male plant can be consumed as hana-sanshō while the female flowers yield berries or peppercorns of about 5 mm. Around fall the berries turn scarlet and burst scattering the black seeds within. The branch grows pairs of sharp thorns and has odd-pinnately compound leaves alternately arranged with 5〜9 pairs of ovate leaflets having crenate (slightly serrated) margins.

The vine wraps from left to right, with a thick stem about 2 cm in diameter. The bark is gray-brown to reddish-brown, with round bark and irregular cracks. The leaves are alternate, palm-shaped compound leaves with three leaflets. The lobules are 2 to 6 cm long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide, oval to broad oval, concave at the tip, round at the base, and wavy serrated edges. The surface of the leaves is dark green, the back is light green, and both sides are hairless. The inflorescences are drooped or bent from the side of the new leaves, and about 10 to 30 small male flowers are attached to the tip of the inflorescence, and 1 to 3 large female flowers are attached to the base. The fruit is a berry, wrapped in thick skin and forms a stubborn cocoon. The length is about 10 cm, it is oblong, and the bulge on the tip side is larger than that of Akebi. As it ripens in the fall, the color changes from green to purple or magenta, and the skin ruptures, revealing jelly-like flesh inside. The pulp is white and contains many black seeds.

Japanese chestnut is a medium-sized chestnut tree that has been used in plant-disease resistance research due to its resistance to chestnut blight and ink disease. An important nut crop, the plant grows in the foothills of Japan and Korea, where the nuts are enjoyed as a sweet snack.

Quercus serrata is a deciduous oak tree reaching a height of 25 m. Leaves are up to 17 cm long by 9 cm wide leathery elliptical in shape with serrated margins. Petioles are short (3 cm). Flowers are pistillate inflorescences from 1.5 to 3 cm long occurring in spring. Seeds are oval shaped acorns 1.7 to 2 cm long and take 1 year to mature. Bark is grey or reddish-brown with longitudinal furrows.

It is a medium-sized deciduous tree 15 to 30 m tall, with slate grey bark. The leaves are large, 16 to 38 cm (rarely to 50 cm) long and 9 to 20 cm (rarely 25 cm) broad, leathery, green above, silvery or greyish pubescent below, and with an acute apex. The flowers are also large, cup-shaped, 15 to 20 cm diameter. The fruit is an oblong-cylindric aggregate of follicles 12 to 20 cm long and 6 cm broad, bright pinkish red.

Because of its elegantly multilayered branches and creamy white blossoms, the Wedding Cake Tree resembles a cake. It is native to Southeast Asia and has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Bees and butterflies feed on the nectar from the beautiful flowers of this plant.

Lace shrub is a showy, deciduous shrub that is frequently planted as an ornamental and is particularly suitable for ground cover below trees. Its fruit is said to cause stomach discomfort if eaten. Its common name, Lace scrub, comes from the delicate white flower clusters it produces.

Japanese wisteria (*Wisteria floribunda*) is a vigorous climber and requires a sturdy structure to support its weight when mature. In spring, it produces hanging clusters of fragrant, purple, pea-like flowers. These are followed by bean-like pods which burst open with a loud “pop” to disperse their seeds. Its beauty ensures it remains popular, but it is invasive and needs strict control.

A small deciduous shrub reaching 91 to 122 cm in height.The leaves on this shrub are deep toothed, and are covered in stinging hairs. Hydrangea hirta has alternating leaves that are 5 to 8 cm long with an egg shape that comes to a pointed tip.The flowers of this shrub tend to grow in small clusters that are light blue to white in color.An individual flower of this species measures 5 cm in diameter with 5 petals and 10 stamens; this species lacks the ornamental bracts that many other hydrangea species possess.

Kaempfer azalea is a vibrant, broadleaf evergreen shrub that blossoms with funnel-shaped, bright orange to red flowers. Typically found in Japan, this hardy species thrives in forested, mountainous regions, showcasing its glossy, oval shaped leaves which add year-round interest. Its distinct floral coloration contrasts sharply against the deep greens of its foliage, signaling the arrival of spring.

Smooth wavy-leaf basketgrass is a low-growing, sprawling grass often found carpeting forest floors and shady areas. Its long, slender leaves, marked with a distinctive variegation or streaks, thrive in the dappled sunlight. This plant adapts to its environment with a hardy root system that stabilizes soil, forming dense mats that prevent erosion and support the understory ecology.