Daffodils are one of the first signs of spring. Daffodil, (Narcissus pseudonarcissus), also called common daffodil or trumpet narcissus, bulb-forming plant in the amaryllis family, widely cultivated for its trumpetlike flowers. Daffodils are native to northern Europe and are grown in Daffodils naturalize so they reliably come back every spring, often with more bulbs. Don’t eat the daffodils. All parts of …

February 2016 was warm and dry. There was a lot of weeding. Mostly mustard and grass. Finally, this first weekend in March, the forecast is for heavy rain for the next week. And by heavy I mean two to four inches (which is a lot for Sunnyvale because it averages only 15 inches a year). I refreshed all my hanging …

Cyclamen is a great winter-flowering plant that loves light shade. You can grow in indoors or out. The red cyclamen is classic for the winter holidays. This pink variety is also pretty. In the summer, the foliage dies back and it is stressed by reflected heat (so shade is important). First planted in my Sunnyvale garden: Jan 2016 Garden Nursery: …

Lithodora is a choice groundcover or rock garden plant. This perennial forms a low, creeping mat of hairy grey-green leaves, studded with royal-blue star flowers from late spring through summer. Plants MUST have a well-drained, acidic soil in order to thrive. Heavy clay soils are sure death. Combines well with Heaths and Heathers, since plants have similar requirements. Evergreen where …

Prior to this spring (2016), I had not seen this daisy-like flower. In vivid blues, magic magentas, ultraviolets and stunning bicolors, where else can you find vibrant color early in the season? Plant Senetti with other cool companion bedding plants in early spring, such as pansies. Senetti thrives in full sun and partial sun conditions and down to 35 degrees. …

Sunnyvale, CA, USDA Zone 9, Wednesday February 17 2016. I have a Jalapeno pepper bush and salad greens that survived the brutal El Nino winter (lowest temp: 33). Yesterday’s high was 81. As I munch on a homegrown jalapeno tangerine salad and watch my pineapple growing, I wonder if there is anything to this global warming thing?

Few exotic trees are as widely cultivated and versatile as the Acacia tree. While there are more than 800 species of the Acacia trees around the world, most feature small, finely divided green leaflets that give the stalk a fernlike appearance. Another distinguishing appearance of the Acacia tree is its blossoms. The small, fragrant flowers are: Pea-shaped Arranged in compact …

Our Sunnyvale garden in 2016 has a lot of citrus: Grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, tangerine, and the newest attraction: Australian Finger limes.

The harvest of pomegranates from our Sunnyvale garden in 2015 was about half of 2014. Most of it was due to reduced fruit from the drought. We also lost about 8 from animals with incisors (mostly at night).

The Iceland Poppy is a boreal flowering plant. It is native to subpolar regions of Europe, Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia, but not in Iceland!!!   Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials, that yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, one foot, curved stems among feathery blue-green …