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.

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.

Acer pictum is a deciduous tree up to 20 m tall, with gray bark. Leaves are non-compound, thin, up to 12 cm wide and 12 cm across, toothless, with 3, 5, 7, or 9 lobes.

Hibiscus syriacus is a deciduous shrub with trumpet-shaped pink, lavender, or white flowers. Although it was first collected by Western botanists from Syrian gardens, “rose of sharon” is native to south-central and southeastern China. Because of its hardiness and prolific blooming, it is cultivated all around the world. It is the national flower of South Korea, mentioned in its national anthem.

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.

Grey snake-bark maple is a shrub that can grow into a tree with distinctive mottled, striped bark that resembles a snakeskin - hence the name. The alternative name of redvein maple is attributed to the red-brown color of the leaf veins. Like many maples, grey snake-bark maple hosts larvae of the Imperial moth. It also attracts pollinators such as bees.

Despite its name, heavenly bamboo is not actually bamboo at all but a semi-evergreen shrub. It gains its name because a casual observer may mistake it for actual bamboo. The bright red berries are a key distinguishing feature of this plant. They should be avoided, however, since they are toxic to most animals and humans alike.

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.

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.

Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a highly ornamental small tropical tree or shrub, often multi-stemmed. It is native to India, Southeastern Asia, and Japan, and features a characteristic vase-shaped crown and beautifully-ruffled pink blooms that can last from early summer to autumn. It is also a popular nesting shrub for small birds.

The japanese camellia is a small tree or shrub with glossy green leaves and showy white, pink or red flowers. Native to Japan, it has since spread around the world and is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, even becoming the official state flower of the U.S. state of Alabama. In China, it is considered a symbol of good luck and is a staple of many New Year's celebrations.

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.

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.

The stem grows up to about 5 meters high. Wakae has hair at the beginning but gradually disappears and black spots are gradually appearing on green smooth skin. As it gets older it gradually becomes covered with a rough gray bark. The leaves are western paper and oval dark green and not shiny. The back of the leaf is a little whitish. Hermaphrodite. The flower is yellowish green and blooms in a diffuse inflorescence from the side of the leaf at the same time as the leaves come out in spring. There are 9 stamens for male flowers and ovary for female flowers. The fruits are berries and ripen black around fall.

The madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) is an evergreen subshrub or herbaceous plant. It has a long history of cultivation. Over the years, many cultivars have been developed, most commonly with the aim of incorporating new colors or making the plant more tolerant to cold.

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.

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.

Although its berries look juicy and tempting, the fruits and the root of pokeweed are toxic and should not be eaten. Pokeweed is considered a pest species by farmers but is nevertheless often grown as an ornamental plant. Its berries can be made into pokeberry ink as well.

Big blue lilyturf is an evergreen perennial endemic to East Asia. Comparable to grape hyacinths, this plant has velvety, lush foliage and abundant lavender-blue spikes with black berries blooming next to it. It is a famous, enticing plant that looks especially good at sloping waterways. This low-maintenance plant is excellent for ground cover and edging.