Tag Archives: Spring

Mimulus naiandinus ‘Mega’

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 …

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Pink German Catchfly

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 …

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Salpiglossis ‘Royale’

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 …

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Geranium pyrenaicum ‘Bill Wallis’

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. …

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Veronica

A blast of dense, vertical spikes that bloom for months in our mild climate – & then blooms again! Veronica longfolia “Vernique” is a hybrid version of this essential cottage perennial. It rises to 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide across bearing rich, purple, 6” spikes from late Spring to July, attracting mobs of butterflies, bees & hummers! Cut …

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Phlox

Phlox subulata is a short plant, and its stature is reflected in its common names: “creeping phlox,” “moss phlox,” “moss pinks,” “ground pink,” and “ground phlox.” Don’t let the “pink” label fool you: This perennial does come in other colors. Not surprisingly, Phlox subulata functions primarily as a flowering ground cover. You’ll often see this spring bloomer blanketing banks with …

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Ixia

Ixia are grown from corms native to South Africa (which has the same Mediterranean climate as California). They have grass-like leaves and stellar flowers of blue, purple, red or white. They come into bloom from spring into summer. Some of the common names for Ixia are Corn lily, African Iris, Wand flower, and African Corn lily. They make excellent cut …

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Frida Kahlo Rose

There couldn’t have been a better rose to name after the painter Frida Kahlo, known for her use of bold color and floral elements. This is a vigorous floribunda, so it’ll produce 5-6 roses per cluster and bloom all the way from late spring to early fall. Each petal is its own unique blend of yellow, orange and red hues, …

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Tidy Tips

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 …

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