Flowers

Primrose

English Primrose, Primula vulgaris   Family: Primulaceae Genus: Primula (PRIM-yew-luh) (Info) Species: vulgaris (vul-GAIR-iss) (Info)   Synonym:Primula acaulis Synonym:Primula malacoides   Category: Alpines and Rock Gardens Perennials   Height: under 6 in. (15 cm) 6-12 in. (15-30 cm)   Spacing: 12-15 in. (30-38 cm) 15-18 in. (38-45 cm)   Hardiness: USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F) USDA Zone …

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Sea Lavender

Sea Lavender. Herbaceous Perennial Flower   Also known as Statice, Statice Plumbago Limonium latifolium Plumbaginaceae Family Synonym: Statice latifolia   Tolerant of droughty soil, this sun-loving perennial delivers dense clouds of blue to pink-purple flowers rising above dark green basal rosettes. Delicate and airy in the garden and as a dried flower. Sunlight:   full sun   Shade from hot …

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Blue Potato Bush

The fragrant flowers of Blue Potato Bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii, also known as Solanum rantonnetii,  and Paraguay nightshade), provide a focal point to a tropical or cottage garden. Surrounded by other sun-loving tropical and subtropical perennials, annuals and bulbs, the large shrub blooms year-round in frost-free gardens. Native to Argentina and Paraguay, the blue potato bush is hardy in U.S. Department …

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India Hawthorn

Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis sp.) is prized as a small, low-maintenance shrub or ground cover native to southern China and Japan and cultivated across U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. Various cultivars of Indian hawthorn offer attractive foliage, white to pink flowers and a slight range in available plant sizes. This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies …

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Bacopa

Bacopa. Sutera cordata. They are annual or perennial, decumbent or erect stemmed plants. The leaves are opposite or whorled,sessile. Leaf blade regular, round to linear, venation palmate or pinnate. Stems hairy or smooth. The flowers are produced solitary or in pairs from leaf axil, usually radially symmetrical, sepals 5, petals 5, usually white, blue or purple in color. Dispersal and propagation is by seeds and stem fragments. Crushed leaves have a distinctive ‘lemon’ scent.

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Apple – Gala

Gala apple

Gala have a mild and sweet flavor. Gala apples ranked at number 2 in 2006 on the US Apple Association’s list of most popular apples, after Red Delicious and before Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji (in order). For small Sunnyvale gardens I would recommend a dwarf variety. I got my tree from Four Winds Growers. I have it growing …

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Geranium

An easy-to-grow perennial, geranium is often used in borders, rock gardens, and as a ground cover. Another common name is cranesbill.

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Pansies

Pansies have  colors and bicolors including yellow, gold, orange, purple, violet, red, white, and even near-black (very dark purple). Pansies typically display large showy face markings. Plants grow well in sunny or partially sunny positions in well-draining soils. Pansies are perennial, but normally grown as biennials or annuals because of their leggy growth. The first year plant produces greenery, and …

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Nemeisa

Nemesia  is a genus of annuals, perennials and sub-shrubs which are native to sandy coasts or disturbed ground in South Africa. Numerous hybrids have been selected, and the annual cultivars are popular with gardeners as bedding plants. In temperate regions the annual cultivars are usually treated as half-hardy bedding plants, sown from seed in heat and planted out after all …

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Snow Pea

The snow pea (Pisum sativum var. saccharatum) is a variety of pea eaten whole in its pod while still unripe. The name mangetout (French for “eat all”) can apply both to snow peas and to snap peas. In our Sunnyvale garden, USDA zone 8-9, snow peas are a rainy-season crop. You want to plant early to avoid the warm weather starting in May while balancing the risk of infrequent frosts. …

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