Flowers

Hydrangea

Bigleaf Hydrangea, French Hydrangea. Up until recently, if you wanted a blue Hydrangea, you needed acidic soil; otherwise it was pink. Toxicity: Toxic to Dogs, Toxic to Cats, Toxic to Horses Toxic Principles: Cyanogenic glycoside Clinical Signs: Vomiting, depression, diarrhea. Cyanide intoxication is rare – usually produces more of a gastrointestinal disturbance. Family: Hydrangeaceae (hy-drain-jee-AY-see-ee) (Info) Genus: Hydrangea (hy-DRAIN-juh) (Info) …

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Flowering Bulbs

Bulbs is a generic term for bulbs, rhizomes, and tuberous roots. Bulbs are planted in the soil at varying depths. Bearded Irises are often at the surface. Ornithagulum and Dahlias may be 8 to 10 inches deep. , sollicitudin volutpat at libero litora, non adipiscing. Nulla nunc porta lorem, nascetur pede massa mauris lectus lectus, in magnis, praesent turpis. Ut …

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Purple Trumpet Vine Pod

As I was searching for ripe tomatoes among the tomato plants, I discovered this large strange pod. It is the pod for Purple Trumpet Vine. I have grown this vine for 15 years but have never noticed the pod. The example for the oversight is that it appears during peak tomato season and the vine is obscured by the full …

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Pineapple Lily

Pineapple lilies (Eucomis) are miniature floral representations of the tropical fruit. They are annuals or rarely perennials and are extremely frost tender. The slightly bizarre plants are only 12 to 15 inches (31-38 cm.) tall but have large flower heads that resemble tiny pineapples flanked with green bracts. Learn how to grow a pineapple lily flower for a unique garden …

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Corncockle

Corncockle is a pretty flower that bobs in the wind on slender stalks. Warning: Probably should not be planted around small children. All parts of the plant are toxic to eat. But then again, so are many other common plants such as daffodils and foxgloves. I still recommend it for Sunnyvale gardens. The Corncockle originated in Europe where it grew …

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Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea . Very popular . You need at least a foot width of soil. I tried growing it in 3 inches but it did not grow well. Sunnyvale’s climate zone (9b) is right on the edge for this tropical plant. You should protect it from freezes. Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55375/#ixzz3HZrgOo3C

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Zinnia – Yellow Flame

Zinnias bloom in vivid colors from summer until frost, are a snap to grow from seed, and attract birds and butterflies to your Sunnyvale yard. A rainbow of color options. They come in every eye-catching hue except true blue, so you can match them with your favorite perennial or annual flowers, foliage plants, and herbs. A height for every site. …

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Red Trumpet Vine

Red Trumpet vine has lots of pretty red flowers. I am warning you that it is an aggressive climber. You can see an example at the intersection of Matilda and Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road. Another example is on the south side of Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road past Fremont just past the Falefal-stop restaurant. I have a plant growing in a 3-inch wide trench and …

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Carpet Rose

Carpet Roses need no spraying, no staking and just a simple snipping to shape annually. (I recommend feeding them once or twice a season with time release fertilizer so they have the nutritional resources to produce huge volumes of blooms over the entire growing season.) The Carpet Rose is an excellent low maintenance plant for the Sunnyvale garden.

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Black-Eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susan, Gloriosa Daisy, Yellow Ox-eye Daisy. I grow it as an annual. Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are native to North America and one of the most popular wildflowers grown. They tend to blanket open fields, often surprising the passer-by with their golden-yellow beauty. Members of the sunflower family, the “black eye” is named for the dark brown-purple centers of …

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