Most of us don’t think of onions as beautiful plants, but onions have some very close cousins that definitely deserve a place in your flower garden. Fast-growing ornamental alliums grow tall and have round flower heads composed of dozens of star-shaped flowers. While these plants are not edible, their leaves do have a slight onion-like scent when crushed. Ornamental alliums …
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Moss rose, Portulaca grandiflora, is a drought and heat tolerant annual native to hot, dry plains in Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay. This herbaceous plant in the purslane family (Portulacaceae) is cultivated throughout the world as a garden annual for its showy flowers that bloom all summer long with little care. It is related to the weed purslane (P. oleracea), …
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Big super-duper double pom-poms of peachy-apricot, 4-5” across, are densely stacked all around the stalk for maximum impact. So beautiful! Imagine these next to a garden gate or low fence or standing tall mid to back of bed. Cottage garden nirvana! To 6-8’ and branching. Biennial, they’ll bloom the first season if planted in Spring in temperate climates like ours. …
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This too-pretty-to-be-a-snapdragon offers the most gorgeous rosy pink flowers imaginable. Rising to an awesome 3′ tall and smothered in bee and hummer loving flowers all spring & summer, these are snaps to make you swoon. Each of the fully double 1” flowers exudes a pleasing fragrance, making them a great cut flower to catch a sweetheart’s eye or nose. Outside, …
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This one-of-a-kind Calendula has a neat trick. Yellow flower buds open to reveal white flowers whose backsides are also a butter yellow. The effect is mirage-like, with the 3” white flowers having a shimmering yellow reverse. Large, dark (occasionally white) centers add a vivid contrast to the double rows of silky petals. Highly sought after by bees and butterflies. Quickly …
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Gentian blue flowers are the calling card for this vigorous, sun-loving ground cover. Plants first form a 3-6” high mat of soft, dark-green foliage and then come late spring, a parade of intense, dark blue, 1/2” star-shaped flowers. Each of the 5 petals has a darker rib, accentuating its starburst shape. When smothered in flowers, there’s no blue-flowering ground cover …
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Dinnerplate dahlias are near the top of the WOW! flowers list and this lovely Cafe au Lait is no exception. Showcasing eye-catching, huge flowers (10” wide) and dense with petals (formal decorative form), these flowers range in color from pale peach to a creamy beige. Whiter towards the outsides, the color intensifies towards the center. An imposing specimen, this dahlia …
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This latest in the Buzz series of compact butterfly bushes features vivid fuchsia-pink flowers on 10” long arching cones. Blooming from early summer to late fall, the sweetly scented flowers are a magnet for bees, butterflies & hummingbirds. Once established, plants are covered in vibrant swathes of hot raspberry flowers. This award winner is definitely meant to be a focal …
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Anagallis monelli, commonly called blue pimpernel, is a low-growing tender perennial of the primrose family that grows to 6-10” (less frequently to 18”) tall and spreads to 20” wide. Saucer-shaped, deep gentian blue flowers (to 3/4” diameter) bloom non-stop from early summer to frost on sprawling stems clad with lance-shaped to elliptic, medium green leaves (to 1” long). Each flower …
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A stunning “African Daisy” with 2” wide, tricolor blooms that practically glow! The flowers open bronzey-orange then, as they age, color-shift from the center out starting with hot-pink followed by a rich purple. Color can vary seasonally, often starting out almost entirely bronze-hued in Spring and transitioning to primarily purple as the season progresses. Perfect for adding brilliant color to …
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