Gala have a mild and sweet flavor. Gala apples ranked at number 2 in 2006 on the US Apple Association’s list of most popular apples, after Red Delicious and before Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji (in order). For small Sunnyvale gardens I would recommend a dwarf variety. I got my tree from Four Winds Growers. I have it growing …

The sultana is a “white” (pale green), oval seedless grape variety also called the sultanina, Thompson Seedless (United States), Lady de Coverly (England), and oval-fruited Kishmish (Turkey, Palestine). It is assumed to originate from the Asian part of the Ottoman Empire. In some countries, especially Commonwealth countries, it is also the name given to the raisin made from it or …

An easy-to-grow perennial, geranium is often used in borders, rock gardens, and as a ground cover. Another common name is cranesbill.

The tangerine (Citrus tangerina) is an orange-colored citrus fruit that is closely related to the mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata). Tangerines are smaller than common oranges, and are usually easier to peel and to split into segments. The taste is considered less sour, as well as sweeter and stronger, than that of an orange.   A ripe tangerine is firm to …

Pansies have  colors and bicolors including yellow, gold, orange, purple, violet, red, white, and even near-black (very dark purple). Pansies typically display large showy face markings. Plants grow well in sunny or partially sunny positions in well-draining soils. Pansies are perennial, but normally grown as biennials or annuals because of their leggy growth. The first year plant produces greenery, and …

Nemesia  is a genus of annuals, perennials and sub-shrubs which are native to sandy coasts or disturbed ground in South Africa. Numerous hybrids have been selected, and the annual cultivars are popular with gardeners as bedding plants. In temperate regions the annual cultivars are usually treated as half-hardy bedding plants, sown from seed in heat and planted out after all …

The snow pea (Pisum sativum var. saccharatum) is a variety of pea eaten whole in its pod while still unripe. The name mangetout (French for “eat all”) can apply both to snow peas and to snap peas. In our Sunnyvale garden, USDA zone 8-9, snow peas are a rainy-season crop. You want to plant early to avoid the warm weather starting in May while balancing the risk of infrequent frosts. …

Freesia is a fragrant pretty spring corm that naturalizes so it comes back year after year. I plant them at the bases of the fruit trees and in containers to provide some of the first blooms and scents of spring.

A relatively-rare visitor to the Sunnyvale garden is the red-tailed hawk. The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey. In my garden, it tries to feed on doves and finches. One moment, your seed-feeder has attracted a lot of birds. Suddenly they all take off. Next moment is the swoosh of the hawk.

Red Savina pepper is a cultivar of the habanero chili (Capsicum chinense Jacquin), which has been selectively bred to produce hotter, heavier, and larger fruit. From 1994 to 2006, the Red Savina chili held the Guinness World Record as the hottest chili in the world. In 2007, it was surpassed by the Naga Jolokia pepper.   Frank Garcia of GNS …