Flowers

Nutsedge, often referred to as nut grass, is a common weed in landscapes and gardens in the Central Coast valleys, including Sunnyvale. The plant thrives in waterlogged soil and its presence often indicates poor drainage (particularly an issue with clay soils), too frequent irrigation or leaky sprinklers. Once established, nutsedge will tolerate normal irrigation conditions or drought, making it even …

Crocosmia are red-to-orange glad-like flowers for the summer. Crosomia is a South African version of a gladiola. The genus name is derived from the Greek words krokos, meaning “saffron”, and osme, meaning “odor” – from the dried leaves emitting a strong smell like that of saffron (a spice derived from Crocus – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) – when …

Acidanthera is a summer-blooming bulb in the gladiolus family. The plants have upright, sword-like foliage and fragrant white flowers in late summer and early fall. Acidanthera is easy-to-grow in any sunny garden and it also grows well in containers. Known by many other names, including Gladiolus murielae, Gladiolus callianthus, Abyssinian gladiolus and peacock orchid. SHADE AND SUN: Acidanthera should be …

We were busy during October so there are few photos of the Sunnyvale garden during the month. The fall flowers of Mums, Rudbeckia, and Candy Corn were a bright note. The Cordyline provides a pretty red foliage year round. The last of the chile peppers were harvested. I also harvested the last of the tomatoes (all unripe) and made a …

September in our Sunnyvale garden is all about harvest. I planted an heirloom watermelon “Moon and the Stars” late in the spring. I love that the “Moon and the Stars” pattern is in the leaves.         At harvest time, the melon had grown over the pot to the ground about six feet away and got to about …

August is always the easiest month in our Sunnyvale garden. While your attention is on lots of other things, the garden continues to grow. Our garden has dozens of plants that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Here, a carpenter bee is enjoying a flower on one of the Butterfly bushes. Native to North America, gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) is a gorgeous, low-maintenance …