Cape Flower (Nerine bowdenii) is a brilliant pink, fall-flowering bulb, which will flower for years once they have settled in. Planting If planting in the soil, it is recommended to start the bulbs in a 4 inch pot in a mix of 50% compost and 50% loam based potting soil. When planting, make sure that the roots are spread out …

Hot and smoky

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Bloom’ PPAF An improved earlier blooming version of Black and Blue. Another great Salvia option for the mid to back of borders. Deer resistant and heavy blooming until frost. Feature/Bloom: Dark blue flowers mid-spring to mid-fall Evergreen or Deciduous evergreen USDA Zones Hardy to 10°F USDA Zones 8-10 Special Features: Attracts Pollenators, Deer Resistant, Easy Care, …

Scaveola, or fairy fan-flower, is a tender perennial from eastern Australia. Although it is a relative newcomer to Sunnyvale gardens, scaveola is rapidly gaining converts as a beautifully flowering cascader for hanging baskets and mixed containers. Description of scaveola: Scaveola has rounded basal leaves and narrower stem leaves on prostrate stems that reach only 6 to 8 inches high but …

Leonotis leonurus, also known as lion’s tail and wild dagga, is a plant species in the Lamiaceae (mint) family. The plant is a broadleaf evergreen large shrub native to South Africa and southern Africa, where it is very common. It is known for its medicinal and mild psychoactive properties. The main psychoactive component of Leonotis leonurus is leonurine. The shrub …

It is the beginning of Fall in our Sunnyvale garden. It is 90 degrees today but the leaves on the stone fruit trees are changing colors from green to yellow. Whether this is due to climate-change or the several months of wildfire smoke, I do not know. But you need this relish. This Red Hot Pepper Relish is a tasty …

In our Sunnyvale garden, there is always one, and only one, dominant male hummingbird. He tries to keep every other hummingbird away from the feeder with one exception: During breeding season, the male allows some females to feed. tbd

Plumbago can be grown as a bush or a climber-vine. You don’t need much room – I was able to plant it in a 3-inch trench next to a wall. Every winter I cut it back to two feet high. Every year it needs several prunings to keep it from overtopping the 8-foot walls in my Sunnyvale garden. The generic name, …

New for 2020: The Carolina Reaper. In our Sunnyvale garden, I have grown a number of hot chile peppers: Habanero, Scorpion, and Ghost Peppers. The Carolina Reaper is a cultivar of the Capsicum chinense plant. Developed by South Carolina breeder Ed Currie, the pepper is red and gnarled, with a bumpy texture and small pointed tail. The Carolina Reaper was …