Tag Archives: Spring

February 2016 was warm and dry. There was a lot of weeding. Mostly mustard and grass. Finally, this first weekend in March, the forecast is for heavy rain for the next week. And by heavy I mean two to four inches (which is a lot for Sunnyvale because it averages only 15 inches a year). I refreshed all my hanging …

Cyclamen is a great winter-flowering plant that loves light shade. You can grow in indoors or out. The red cyclamen is classic for the winter holidays. This pink variety is also pretty. In the summer, the foliage dies back and it is stressed by reflected heat (so shade is important). First planted in my Sunnyvale garden: Jan 2016 Garden Nursery: …

The Iceland Poppy is a boreal flowering plant. It is native to subpolar regions of Europe, Asia and North America, and the mountains of Central Asia, but not in Iceland!!!   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 …

Our barrel cactus is flowering! Our barrel cactus in Sunnyvale is 30 years old. It now measures 14 inches wide by 11 inches tall. It started in a 4-inch pot. Echinocactus grusonii, popularly known as the Golden Barrel Cactus is a well known species of cactus, and is endemic to east-central Mexico. The plants do have some basic requirements; an …

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 …

“Queen Fabiola” brodiaea (Brodiaea laxa “Queen Fabiola”) is commonly known as the triplet lily or wild hyacinth. It is also known as Ithuriel’s Spear. This perennial bulb is a native wildflower to California, growing wild in evergreen woodlands. It is found in Edgewood Preserve on the San Mateo County peninsula. Grass-like leaves appear first, followed by clusters of light blue …

This citrus relative from Australia has slender, arching stems lined with narrow, dark green 1-2 inch leaves. It will bloom nearly year-round in our Sunnyvale climate, with star-like 1 inch blossoms, rose pink in color. Sun or light shade, well drained soil, moderate watering. Plant Size: 3 feet high Landscape/Garden Uses: Foundation plantings Flowering Season: Nonseasonal Flower Color: Rose pink …

Godetia (Clarkia Amoena) is a spring blooming annual flower. It is native to western North America, from British Colombia down to California. Many people consider this easy to grow flower as a wildflower. Godetia plant grows 12″ – 30″, depending upon variety. The plant grows quickly. It blooms in the spring, in just 30 to 60 days. It produces Azalea-like …

Siberian squill, grown from a small bulb, is probably the most familiar of the scillas. The plants themselves don’t get much taller than about 6 inches, but they make up for their diminutive size by spreading out and blooming profusely. The tiny bulbs grow and multiple easily and the plants will also self-seed, making scilla a perfect choice for naturalizing.

Tall Bearded Iris is a great spring flower for Sunnyvale gardens. This is a migrant plant. Some years the iris is in the front yard in the ground; other years the iris is in a container in the back yard. Irises contain the potentially toxic compounds irisin, iridin, or irisine. Symptoms of Poisoning: The gastrointestinal tract may become affected by …