Flowers

Everything about this colorful mallow is perfect, from the dramatic wine-red splashes on pale pink petals, to its drought tolerance and its ready ability to self-seed. Add in that it’s one of the host plants for the Painted Lady butterfly and blooms nonstop from mid-summer to late fall and you have one of nature’s wonder plants. This hollyhock relative first …

This one-of-a-kind Calendula has a neat trick. Yellow flower buds open to reveal white flowers whose backsides are also a butter yellow. The effect is mirage-like, with the 3” white flowers having a shimmering yellow reverse. Large, dark (occasionally white) centers add a vivid contrast to the double rows of silky petals. Highly sought after by bees and butterflies. Quickly …

Gentian blue flowers are the calling card for this vigorous, sun-loving ground cover. Plants first form a 3-6” high mat of soft, dark-green foliage and then come late spring, a parade of intense, dark blue, 1/2” star-shaped flowers. Each of the 5 petals has a darker rib, accentuating its starburst shape. When smothered in flowers, there’s no blue-flowering ground cover …

Dinnerplate dahlias are near the top of the WOW! flowers list and this lovely Cafe au Lait is no exception. Showcasing eye-catching, huge flowers (10” wide) and dense with petals (formal decorative form), these flowers range in color from pale peach to a creamy beige. Whiter towards the outsides, the color intensifies towards the center. An imposing specimen, this dahlia …

Probably the EASIEST Lupine you can grow! Plant this California native in good soil & she’ll easily reach 3-4’ tall in a jiffy, bearing tons of fragrant 8” blooms for several months. Nice & bushy with those fabulous Lupiney leaves & rich purple & violet blooms. Here along the coast it’ll drop its seeds to grow & bloom again in …

This latest in the Buzz series of compact butterfly bushes features vivid fuchsia-pink flowers on 10” long arching cones. Blooming from early summer to late fall, the sweetly scented flowers are a magnet for bees, butterflies & hummingbirds. Once established, plants are covered in vibrant swathes of hot raspberry flowers. This award winner is definitely meant to be a focal …

Anagallis monelli, commonly called blue pimpernel, is a low-growing tender perennial of the primrose family that grows to 6-10” (less frequently to 18”) tall and spreads to 20” wide. Saucer-shaped, deep gentian blue flowers (to 3/4” diameter) bloom non-stop from early summer to frost on sprawling stems clad with lance-shaped to elliptic, medium green leaves (to 1” long). Each flower …

A stunning “African Daisy” with 2” wide, tricolor blooms that practically glow! The flowers open bronzey-orange then, as they age, color-shift from the center out starting with hot-pink followed by a rich purple. Color can vary seasonally, often starting out almost entirely bronze-hued in Spring and transitioning to primarily purple as the season progresses. Perfect for adding brilliant color to …

A mounded perennial, Downy Phlox grows 1-2 ft. tall and bears clusters of fragrant, pale pink to lavender flowers. The petals of the showy flowers are joined at their bases into an elongate tube. Stems and narrow, paired leaves are covered with soft hairs. There are nine subspecies of this phlox, each occupying a different portion of the range.

If you are looking for a stunning perennial to add some color and charm to your garden, you might want to consider Veronica ‘Perfectly Picasso’. This variety of spike speedwell produces beautiful spikes of star-shaped, medium pink flowers that contrast with white buds. The flowers bloom from mid to late summer and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Veronica ‘Perfectly Picasso’ has …