The flowers dangle at staggered heights in the vaulted clearing like chandeliers in a shadowy ballroom, each palm-size inflorescence a whorl of pale yellow, pea-pod-shaped buds on arched stems.

Picture a plant so loaded with blooms that you hardly notice the glossy green leaves. That is the perfect description for a ...

Q: My husband, Gary, found one blooming iris and six buds in our flower garden on Oct. 26 ... Poinsettias are tropical natives, and carrying one outdoors this time of year without covering ...