Iceland poppies are hardy but short-lived perennials, often grown as biennials, that yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers supported by hairy, one foot, curved stems among feathery blue-green foliage 1-6 inches long. This year’s crop was planted in our former fire-pit surrounded by cool-weather cyclamen and english daisy. They bloom in April after the crocus, hyacinth, and tulips. Iceland …
Read More »Tag Archives: purple
Purple Trumpet vine
The Purple Trumpet vine has really benefited from all of our El Nino winter rain in Sunnyvale. The trumpet vine flower is great for attracting hummingbirds to the landscape. The beautiful tubular flowers range in color from yellow to orange or red or purple. Blooming on the trumpet vine plant takes place throughout summer and into fall, though blooming may …
Read More »It’s Showtime!
The Watsonia spires and Spanish Lavender are ready for dawn
Read More »Pericallis
Prior to this spring (2016), I had not seen this daisy-like flower. In vivid blues, magic magentas, ultraviolets and stunning bicolors, where else can you find vibrant color early in the season? Plant Senetti with other cool companion bedding plants in early spring, such as pansies. Senetti thrives in full sun and partial sun conditions and down to 35 degrees. …
Read More »Gilia tricolor aka Birds Eye
Much visited by bees, they are so easy and exude the sweetness of Spring with their flowers, form & lovely chocolate scent! Extremely floriferous, you’ll get hundreds of these entrancing, 1/2” light blue or violet flowers, set off by powder-blue stamen & a yellow throat with a dark purple ring at the top. Blooms on bushy, ferny upright stems. Highly …
Read More »Jacaranda
In late spring and early summer, streets are awash with the magnificent purple-blue blooms of jacarandas (Jacaranda mimosifolia). As well as being superb street trees, jacarandas look stunning on their own as a specimen tree in an open lawn, where their fallen flowers form a colorful carpet of blue. My Sunnyvale garden has no room for the jacaranda but beyond …
Read More »First 2015 bloom of Linaria Reticulata
This is the first bloom of Linaria in early March 2015. The plant is about 12 inches tall and the whole flower head is only an inch wide. See detailed description of Linaria
Read More »Trachelium caeruleum
Trachelium caeruleum (Purple umbrella flower). Like a lavender-blue “Queen Anne’s Lace,” this Mediterranean perennial bears large, dense domes of intricate flowers dotted with tiny white “pins.” Lightly violet scented, the 3-4” clusters on upright stems look lovely in any garden and it good for cut flowers. Easy to grow & vigorous. Blooms mid-Summer till Fall, just in time for the …
Read More »First 2015 bloom of Linaria
This is the first bloom of Linaria in 2015. The plant is about 12 inches tall and the whole flower head is only an inch wide. Some have suggested, after viewing this photo, that Alien has crossed from animals to plants. See detailed description of Linaria
Read More »English Lavender
English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is easy to grow in Sunnyvale gardens. It has modest water needs and can grow in small areas (once established). My lavender plant is in a two-foot wide trench excavated one foot deep in clay. Fresh lavender flowers may be used in sauces, marinades, and desserts. Handle fragile dried blossoms with care and use them in …
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