Plant this spring annual and you’ll be rewarded with a profusion of those bouncy, 2” blooms with their lemon-yellow and pure white scalloped petals , March through June. Combine with Nemophila menziesii “Baby Blue Eyes,” both will self-sow for a harmonious show next Spring. Nice in pots too! In California, it’s an important nectar source for the Checkerspot butterfly. Every ... Read More »
Brodiaea laxa is commonly known as the triplet lily, grassnut lily, or wild hyacinth. This perennial bulb is a native wildflower to California, growing wild in evergreen woodlands. Locally, it is found in places like Edgewood Preserve on the San Mateo County peninsula and Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Grass-like leaves appear first, followed by clusters of light blue blossoms reaching ... Read More »
Abundant REALLY LARGE fanciful blooms appear Spring thru Summer on this new “Monkey Flower” variety from Chile. Twice the size of the original species (2” top to bottom), ‘Mega’s’ creamy white flowers are blushed cherry & garnished with a yellow throat & showy spots. Dark branching stems, refined blue-green foliage & a bushy 20” high & wide form completes the ... Read More »
Pink German Catchfly (Viscaria oculata) is a pretty annual. Each 1-inch flower has five petals around a dark eye. Ours started blooming May 20. They bloom for about 4 months. The common name “catchfly” is used because the stems secrete a sticky liquid that traps small insects. The flower has been in British gardens since the 1840s. No flower seed ... Read More »
Salpiglossis: a name that just rolls off the tongue. Which it should since the genus name comes from the Greek words sappinx meaning trumpet and glossa meaning tongue with reference to the elongated trupet-shaped flowers. It is a spectacular flower. I don’t know how I missed this flower over the years. Many salpiglossis are hybrid cultivars that are primarily derived ... Read More »
Dozens of deep purple-blue blossoms in a small package (15″ tall x 20″). Reliably perennial, it happily self-sows to fill in bare spots with its ever-present color. When the flowers are spent (after months), cut back to 1”, side dress with compost & it’ll burst right back into bloom. BEST in rich soil & half day sun, but not required. ... Read More »
April is always a great time in our Sunnyvale garden. The last few rain showers end by mid April. The spring bulbs finish their blossoms as the vines start blooming and the summer bulbs start peeking out from the ground. The tomato plants are already 2-3 feet tall and have blossoms. The citrus trees (orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, lime) attracted ... Read More »
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 »
Scilla peruviana is a evergreen perennial makes a spring-time statement with 50 to 100 deep-blue, starry blossoms atop large, cone-shaped flowers. Grow it alongside other spring flowering bulb crops such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips. These unique flowers have an impressively long bloom time. Short dark green strap-shaped leaves emerge in the fall to form tight rosettes to 18 inches ... Read More »
Beauty in a small package: California Creamcup , has a one inch wide flower with six petals which may be pure white or golden or white with large gold spots or gold tips. The center of the flower is filled with a tuftlike cluster of many thick, flattened stamens. The small plant (12×18 inches) may produce hundreds of blossoms. The ... Read More »