This variety is one of the familiar, and welcome, giant spring Crocus, which are colorful companions for early Daffodils. They are terrific for bedding, rock gardens, shrub borders, and naturalizing in grass. Reserve a few bulbs to pot up and force, and you will soon be the bearer of sweet little gifts that are inexpensive yet rich with the promise …
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Lupines
New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2019 are lupines. They are spectacular in the garden and in the nature. Choose a sunny site with average, well-draining soil. Lupines are legumes and can improve a soil’s fertility over time. Light: Full sun is preferred. Lupine can grow in part shade, but flowering will be lessened. Soil: Lupine needs well-draining soil above …
Read More »Sedum hernandezii
New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2019 is Sedum hernandezii, native to Puebla, Mexico. Sedum hernandezii is one of the “Jellybean” sedums so named for their exceedingly plump and colorful jellybean shaped leaves . Large, star-shaped yellow flowers appear in winter and spring. A very low grower, this sedum does well as a potted specimen, great for dish gardens, windowsills, …
Read More »Echeveria derenbergii – Painted Lady
New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2019… Echeveria derenbergii is an evergreen perennial succulent with a basal rosette of pagoda-shaped, frosted, fleshy leaves colored silvery-blue with bristly tips. In winter it bears clusters of bell-shaped yellow flowers with red tips . Echeveria aggressively offsets from a young age, forming clusters quickly. Short arching racemes of golden-yellow flowers with red tips …
Read More »Grevillea lanigera
New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2019 is Grevillea lanigera – A low, dense ground cover/shrub to grows to 2 feet tall and 4 feet wide with small, narrow gray-green foliage that is soft and woolly. I have planted ours in a tall container with the hope that the long branches will hang. The cream and pink flower clusters form …
Read More »Phlomis fruticosa
New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2018, this Mediterranean native adds texture and summer color to the landscape with minimal care. Whorls of butter-yellow flowers contrast with woolly, silver-grey leaves on a dense shrub-like form. Plant this sun-loving, water-wise perennial as a border accent or mass on a sunny slope for a dramatic effect. Despite its name, it is actually …
Read More »Lewisia Siskiyou
New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2019 is Lewisia cotyledon, commonly known as Siskiyou lewisia. Lewisia blooms from spring to mid-summer, producing large individual six-petal flowers in orange, pink, red, salmon, white or yellow that are held high above the foliage in a spray, lasting for several weeks. Lewisia is eye-catching in bloom, although, when grown from seed, it is …
Read More »Purple Top Vervain
New to our Sunnyvale garden in 2018 is Purple Top vervain (Verbena bonariensis). It is a low maintenance shrub with pretty purple flowers that attract lots of pollinators: butterflies, bumble bees, commas, honey bees, hummingbird moths, hummingbirds, and more. . We planted it in one of our pots out front which gets full southern exposure. Height: 2 – 4 feet; Width: 1 …
Read More »November in our Sunnyvale garden – 2018
Creeping Rosemary
Rosemary is one of those wonderful herbs that makes a beautiful ornamental plant as well as a welcome culinary seasoning to your Sunnyvale garden. Its Latin name, Rosmarinus officinalis , means “dew of the sea” and rosemary is most closely associated with the cooking of the Mediterranean area. However you don’t need perfect sunshine, sea mist or even a never …
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