AKA Striped Roman tomato. The source of this tomato is John Swenson. A cross between Antique Roman and Banana Legs. The tomato has the distinct end nipple of the latter. Compact, indeterminate, regular-leaf tomato plants that have a high yield of very intriguingly beautiful, meaty, 4-6-inch long, orange-red paste tomato with good flavors and wavy yellow stripes. Looks like a …

Salvia greggii, the autumn sage, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to a long, narrow area from southwest Texas, through the Chihuahuan Desert and into the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, typically growing in rocky soils at elevations from 5,000 to 9,000 ft (1,500 to 2,700 m). It was named and described in 1870 by botanist Asa Gray after …

Introducing the Creaper! My hot sauce made with home-grown Carolina Reaper chile peppers, carrots, ginger, and some other stuff. I will say it again later but I am saying it here first: Use a food mill to filter out the pulp. It quickly and efficiently squeezes the thick sauce to extract the juice and leave behind the chile pepper seeds …

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 …