Flowers

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 …

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

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. …

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 …

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.

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 …

Abundant REALLY LARGE fanciful blooms appear Spring thru Summer on this new “Monkey Flower” variety from Chile. Twice the size of the original species (2” top to bottom), ‘Mega’s’ creamy white flowers are blushed cherry & garnished with a yellow throat & showy spots. Dark branching stems, refined blue-green foliage & a bushy 20” high & wide form completes the …

May in our Sunnyvale garden is always full of flowers and growth. We had over 60 flowering plants plus fruit and vegetables.

Pink German Catchfly (Viscaria oculata) is a pretty annual. Each 1-inch flower has five petals around a dark eye. Ours started blooming May 20. They bloom for about 4 months. The common name “catchfly” is used because the stems secrete a sticky liquid that traps small insects. The flower has been in British gardens since the 1840s. No flower seed …

Coral Bells (genus Heuchera) are a great foliage plant. The leaves are often large and heart-shaped or rounded, and many are variegated or ruffled. Starting in late spring, graceful, bell-shaped flower clusters open, carried on spikes that grow about two feet tall. Because these North American natives are evergreen (USDA zones 4 – 9), they bring year-round interest to the …