The Jolly Jester Marigolds are beautiful and versatile. They tolerate poor conditions. Plant at the ends of your rows for a beautiful and powerful natural pest protector, in front of your pea or bean fence for decorative border. Flowers are edible and also used in teas. Bloom from late summer through fall. Mine are still blooming in November in Sunnyvale! …

Watsonia bulbs are an excellent example of how simple gardening can be when the right plant is matched to suitable growing conditions. Fresh watsonia bulbs are available from early September through mid November only. They naturalize so you can leave them in the soil for next year. Use a large, heavy container; watsonia grow 4-6 feet tall. Fill your containers …

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Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac, Orange-eye Butterfly Bush, Buddleja fallowiana ‘Lochinch’   Family: Buddlejaceae Genus: Buddleja (BUD-lee-uh) (Info) Species: fallowiana (fal-low-ee-AH-nuh) (Info) Cultivar: Lochinch   Synonym:Buddleia fallowiana   Category: Shrubs   Height: 4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m) 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)   Spacing: 4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)   Hardiness: USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F) USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 …

If you want to eat the Fennel bulb then make sure you get the Florence Fennel. Fennel is a flowering plant species in the celery family Apiaceae or Umbelliferae. It is the sole species in the genus Foeniculum. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves.

Helichrysum argyrophyllum is a tough and beautiful groundcover. Awesome for spilling over rocks, walls or for edging and containers, the small glistening, almost metallic, ever-silvery leaves and stems of this South African native construct a solid, trailing and ground-hugging mat. And even awesomer, from mid-Summer thru Fall it almost covers itself with showy little canary-yellow “strawflowers” that last for months …

The Flowering Plum is the first tree to flower in my Sunnyvale garden (USDA zone 9). In normal years, it flowers mid-February. Also known as cherry plum or myrobalan plum, flowering plum (Prunus cerasifera) is a small to medium-sized ornamental tree native to Asia. Purple-leaved cultivars, such as the popular Thundercloud, are more common in the home landscape than the …

Holy Basil, Thai Holy Basil, Ocimum sanctum   Family: Lamiaceae (lay-mee-AY-see-ee) (Info) Genus: Ocimum (OSS-ih-mum) (Info) Species: sanctum (SANK-tum) (Info) Synonym:Ocimum tenuiflorum   Category: Herbs   Height: 24-36 in. (60-90 cm)   Spacing: 24-36 in. (60-90 cm)   Hardiness: USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F) USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)   Sun Exposure: Full Sun …

Cucumber, Cucumis sativus ‘Hmong Red’   Family: Cucurbitaceae (koo-ker-bih-TAY-see-ee) (Info) Genus: Cucumis (KOO-koo-mis) (Info) Species: sativus (sa-TEE-vus) (Info) Cultivar: Hmong Red   Category: Vegetables Vines and Climbers   Height: 18-24 in. (45-60 cm)   Spacing: 9-12 in. (22-30 cm)   Seed Type: Open Pollinated   Sun Exposure: Full Sun   Bloom Color: Gold (Yellow-Orange)   Bloom Time: Late Spring/Early Summer …

Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds. Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater. Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season. Other details: May be a noxious weed or invasive. The bad news is that foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) does not occur as a perennial. It is a biennial, meaning that …