Tag Archives: Summer

Scaveola, or fairy fan-flower, is a tender perennial from eastern Australia. Although it is a relative newcomer to Sunnyvale gardens, scaveola is rapidly gaining converts as a beautifully flowering cascader for hanging baskets and mixed containers. Description of scaveola: Scaveola has rounded basal leaves and narrower stem leaves on prostrate stems that reach only 6 to 8 inches high but …

Coreopsis is an easy to grow perennial that loves full sun and can thrive in many types of soil. These native colormakers range from the familiar sunny yellow variety to a host of eye-catching bicolors. Dependably perennial, these are tough plants that tolerate dry, hot weather and deliver long-lasting blooms. Pollinator-friendly and deer-resistant. Other common names are pot-of-gold and tickseed. …

Easy-care and long-blooming Bidens is easy to recognize in garden beds and borders, as well as container gardens. A cheery annual native to areas of southwestern North America, it features golden-yellow daisy-shaped flowers that continue to appear for weeks. This family of plants earned these names thanks to their clinging seeds, which look something like ticks and stick to clothing …

Lilyturf (Liriope muscari) is a tough but showy evergreen groundcover has deep green, grass-like foliage arranged in slightly upright tufts. Spikes of blue or purple (see below) bell-shaped flowers resembling grape hyacinth (hence its species name) appear in summer, followed by dark berry-like fruits. Great for edging pathways or as and a low border accent. Grows well underneath trees or …

Another new flower for our Sunnyvale Garden in 2020 are Pinkladies. Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa) has masses of fragrant, bowl-shaped, satiny flowers. Other common names are evening primrose. We purchased our pinkladies from Summerwinds nursery. The large (2-3 inch wide) flowers open in the evening and remain open until late morning. The flowers age to rose-pink with deeper pink veins. They …

With its long chains of pink blossoms, kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate is a great addition to a garden. This plant will bloom from mid-summer until fall. It is a favorite cut flower and can be dried and used in floral arrangements. The large, coarse-textured foliage can create a backdrop for other plants. This fast-growing plant can grow to 7 feet tall and can …

Antirrhinum majus ‘Chantilly Bronze’ Lots of flowers with an shifting color palette ( goldens, pinks and oranges to deep red) create STRONG and tall enduring vertical interest in a garden bed or a flower arrangement. The strapping 3′ stems maintain their upright stance, even under a bounty of delicately-scented, long-lasting blooms, from Spring all the way through Autumn. After the …

Oriental lilies are a spectacular and perfumed addition to your summer garden. Growing oriental lily plants is easy with a well-prepared site for bulbs, plenty of sun and good drainage. Some of the most magnificent flowers in the lily family are in this large group of species and cultivars. We originally bought a small bag of bulbs from Yamagami nursery …

Poblano Green Chiles Named after Puebla, Mexico, this type of pepper has a beautiful dark green color and is wider than the Anaheim chile. It is usually hotter than the Anaheim as well, though its piquancy varies and it can sometimes be very mild. Poblanos are widely used in a variety of ways all over Mexico and are the most common peppers employed in the preparation …

Tufted evening primrose (Oenothera caespitosa) is a night bloomer, producing large white flowers that start to open in late afternoon and on into the night. The fragrant blossoms appear to glow in the dark while attracting nighttime pollinators. Once the sun begins to rise, the white blooms fade to a lovely shade of pink that decorates the garden throughout the …