Flowers

Henbit is a small but pretty winter wildflower. Hummingbirds enjoy this wild edible for the nectar. Henbit is also an important early season source of nectar and pollen for honeybees. Unlike many of its relatives in the mint family, henbit does not have a strong or distinctive mint scent. The common name, Henbit, comes from the observation that chickens like …

Delphinium is a genus of about 300 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. All members of the Delphinium genus are toxic to humans and livestock. The common name “larkspur” is shared between perennial Delphinium species and annual species of the genus Consolida. Molecular …

Bower Vine, Jasmine, Pandorea jasminoides. Pink bower vine  is a fast-growing vine that reaches heights of 20 to 30 feet at maturity. The vine adds color to the landscape all summer, displaying soft pink, bell-shaped blooms with dark pink throats. Thanks to the lush, evergreen foliage, the vine is attractive even when it isn’t blooming. Bower vine is suitable for planting …

Liatris is easy to grow and versatile. These 1–5 feet tall plants emerge from mounds of narrow, grass-like leaves. Liatris flowers form along the tall spikes, and these fuzzy, thistle-like blossoms, which are usually purple, flower from the top to the bottom rather than in the traditional bottom to top blooming of most plants. There are also rose colored and …

Tall Bearded Iris is a great spring flower for Sunnyvale gardens.

The Jolly Jester Marigolds are beautiful and versatile. They tolerate poor conditions. Plant at the ends of your rows for a beautiful and powerful natural pest protector, in front of your pea or bean fence for decorative border. Flowers are edible and also used in teas. Bloom from late summer through fall. Mine are still blooming in November in Sunnyvale! …

Watsonia bulbs are an excellent example of how simple gardening can be when the right plant is matched to suitable growing conditions. Fresh watsonia bulbs are available from early September through mid November only. They naturalize so you can leave them in the soil for next year. Use a large, heavy container; watsonia grow 4-6 feet tall. Fill your containers …

Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac, Orange-eye Butterfly Bush, Buddleja fallowiana ‘Lochinch’   Family: Buddlejaceae Genus: Buddleja (BUD-lee-uh) (Info) Species: fallowiana (fal-low-ee-AH-nuh) (Info) Cultivar: Lochinch   Synonym:Buddleia fallowiana   Category: Shrubs   Height: 4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m) 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)   Spacing: 4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)   Hardiness: USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F) USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 …

Helichrysum argyrophyllum is a tough and beautiful groundcover. Awesome for spilling over rocks, walls or for edging and containers, the small glistening, almost metallic, ever-silvery leaves and stems of this South African native construct a solid, trailing and ground-hugging mat. And even awesomer, from mid-Summer thru Fall it almost covers itself with showy little canary-yellow “strawflowers” that last for months …

The Flowering Plum is the first tree to flower in my Sunnyvale garden (USDA zone 9). In normal years, it flowers mid-February. Also known as cherry plum or myrobalan plum, flowering plum (Prunus cerasifera) is a small to medium-sized ornamental tree native to Asia. Purple-leaved cultivars, such as the popular Thundercloud, are more common in the home landscape than the …