Flowers

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Mums are always popular in the fall. Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC.[9] Over 500 cultivars had been recorded by 1630.[7] The plant is renowned as one of the Four Gentlemen in Chinese and East Asian art. The plant is particularly significant during the Double Ninth Festival. Chrysanthemum …

October is a transition time in our Sunnyvale garden. The last of the summer fruits and vegetables taper off. There is a tomato that will never ripen. The last of the marionberries got ripe – it tasted great. All of the black mission figs and panache figs were consumed by either squirrels or the dreaded night squirrels. The fall and …

Tagetes lemmonii is new to our Sunnyvale garden in 2018. This herbaceous evergreen perennial in the sunflower family (Asteraceae) is native to Arizona and northern Mexico. The highly aromatic, fine textured medium green leaves are arranged on brittle stems. Electric yellow-orange daisy-like flowers provide intense fall color. Tagetes produces many small flower heads in a flat-topped array, each head with …

The Tecoma Sparky is a hybrid plant that was created in 2012 by Arizona State University. This plant was even named after the Arizona State Mascot “Sparky”. It is a variation of the Tecoma plant that is mainly a yellow flower with a red-orange center. Tecoma Sparky is found in the southern regions of the United States, mainly in Arizona, …

Red Fountain Grass dazzles with 10-inch bottlebrush plumes emerging burgundy-red in mid-to-late summer. Plumes shift a golden hue in fall and remain in place throughout winter. Flowing, ribbon-like grass blades adds texture and motion. ‘Red Head’ stands apart as one of the earliest-flowering fountain grasses. An excellent cut flower, fresh or dried. Plant in full sun and water sparingly to …