I have always had a soft spot for dragons. Years ago, I made a 10′ corduroy dragon with an 11′ wing span. My son was small at the time, so crawled down into the body cavity to stuff the tail. When someone offered to buy it, the outcry from my two children would rend the hardest heart. Where do you store a dragon? We packed it around through many moves. Sometimes there was a place to display it, sometimes not. It now resides in my son’s basement, the nearest thing to a dank cavern. I doubt it sits atop a treasure of gold and jewels.

Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis’ or ‘Dragon’s Eye’, appealed to me because of the bands of pale green on its darker green needles. It is a slow grower with a lanky profile, but I have high hopes for its golden-eyed future.

This fern, Athyrium filix-femina ‘Dre’s Dragon’ sports frayed tips on a typical frond. Nearest I can tell, the name comes from the forked tongue of the mythical character.

The name of this tree peony is ‘Chinese Dragon’. I don’t know…red color maybe?

It’s pretty clear where Poncirus trifoliata ‘Flying Dragon’ came by its moniker. If you look closely, you may be able to see the long curved thorns. This one is still a baby. When it matures, those thorns will be a full two inches long…equipping it to go up against most challengers.

None of these plants were chosen for the allusion to dragons. I simply seem to be drawn to them. It may have something to do with the fact that I was born in the year of the dragon…something I learned only recently. If you know of other “dragon” plants I have missed, please let me know. I probably must have them.