Godetia (Clarkia Amoena) is a spring blooming annual flower. It is native to western North America, from British Colombia down to California. Many people consider this easy to grow flower as a wildflower. Godetia plant grows 12″ – 30″, depending upon variety. The plant grows quickly. It blooms in the spring, in just 30 to 60 days. It produces Azalea-like …

Siberian squill, grown from a small bulb, is probably the most familiar of the scillas. The plants themselves don’t get much taller than about 6 inches, but they make up for their diminutive size by spreading out and blooming profusely. The tiny bulbs grow and multiple easily and the plants will also self-seed, making scilla a perfect choice for naturalizing.

This is the first bloom of Linaria in early March 2015. The plant is about 12 inches tall and the whole flower head is only an inch wide. See detailed description of Linaria

Like everything else in the garden, the blackberries are two weeks ahead of schedule. We are going to have a good crop of blackberries and a bumper crop of marionberries.

Our resident hummingbird appeared to be enjoying the rare spring rain

I have not planted elephant garlic in the front yard in ten years. The plants continue to produce every year. Mostly from child bulbs on the parent. But sometimes from seeds dispersed from the flower heads. This year, I harvested about half of the garlic. Wash off the dirt. Dry for an hour or so. Cut off the foliage about …

Trachelium caeruleum (Purple umbrella flower). Like a lavender-blue “Queen Anne’s Lace,” this Mediterranean perennial bears large, dense domes of intricate flowers dotted with tiny white “pins.” Lightly violet scented, the 3-4” clusters on upright stems look lovely in any garden and it good for cut flowers. Easy to grow & vigorous. Blooms mid-Summer till Fall, just in time for the …

How Do You Prep Kohlrabi? While the kohlrabi bulbs are what you’ll usually see being sold, don’t pass up an opportunity to pick them up if you see the greens still attached — they’re delicious and can be eaten raw in salad if they’re young and tender, or sautéed or steamed like mustard greens. Kohlrabi needs little prep, but you …

Tall Bearded Iris is a great spring flower for Sunnyvale gardens. This is a migrant plant. Some years the iris is in the front yard in the ground; other years the iris is in a container in the back yard. Irises contain the potentially toxic compounds irisin, iridin, or irisine. Symptoms of Poisoning: The gastrointestinal tract may become affected by …