Tag Archives: Summer

Long-blooming, scented, drought tolerant & snail & deer resistant, this flamboyant annual from North Africa self-sows too! What more could you want? Butterflies? Yes, butterflies adore it, too! Gobs of bright little scarlet & gold bi-colored “snapdragon” blooms are displayed for months above soft ferny foliage. Cut back after it’s finished blooming & it’ll rebloom quickly & vigorously. To 12” …

Gardeners who enjoy growing Nicotiana, enjoy great, fragrant perfume. It’s a flower that is grown for it’s fragrance. Nicotiana attract hummingbirds to their trumpet shaped flowers. Nicotiana plants are easy to grow. Flowers begin to appear and bloom in the early summer. The plant will rebloom all season. Flowers open up in late afternoon, and are on fragrant display all …

Try growing bee balm in view of a window so you won’t miss the acrobatics of hummingbirds that visit in summer. Bee balm also attracts butterflies and bees.

Spearmint or English Mint is a flavorful addition to your Sunnyvale garden. Make sure though that you contain the roots because it is very invasive. Use in recipes like Cucumber Cooler.

Lisianthus flowers are native to American prairies. And lisianthus is one of the best cut flowers — it will last in the vase for 2 to 3 weeks. Lisianthus can be challenging to grow. They’re extremely tricky to grow from seed, so start with established seedlings. Plant them in rich, well-drained soil in full sun after all danger of frost …

Variegated Hebe. A compact evergreen shrub with spikes of purple flowers in early summer. Attractive variegated grey green leaves with creamy margins. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Ideal as a low hedge or container plant. Evergreen.

Mask Flower (Alonsoa meridionalis) Blooms lasting three months or more. When it slows down, just cut back to 6” tall, add a bit of compost & boom – it’s back with another explosion of 1” cinnabar-red, roundish Snapdragon-like flowers. Even in Winter! Nice in front of a bed & an excellent container plant. A bushy 30” high & 18” wide.

African Daisy, Cape Daisy. Versatile and resilient, hardy Osteospermums will thrive in hot, dry, neglected conditions, yet remain some of longest-flowering plants in the garden! Expect vibrant summer colour and weed suppressing ground cover from these easy to grow, sun loving Cape Daisies. Height: 15cm (6″). Spread: 90cm (36″).

Lavandula stoechas is also known as Spanish or French Lavender. It smells good and attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Like other lavenders, it is associated with hot, dry, sunny conditions in alkaline soils. Spanish Lavender is more fragile than common lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), as it is less winter hardy; but harsher and more resinous in its oils.

Stock offers a wonderfully spicy, distinctive scent. In Sunnyvale, plant it in spring as earlier as February — this annual thrives in cool temperatures and stops blooming once hot weather arrives. It’s especially wonderful in window boxes and planters at nose level, where its sometimes subtle effect can best be appreciated. Stock is slightly spirelike and comes in a wide …