If you’re looking to add some fragrant plants to the garden, check-out these 7 in today’s post. As there are many more; for example, the spring blooming bulb, Freesia, comes to mind, as do fragrant roses, lilies, lilacs, jasmine, honeysuckle and unsung ones like say Pittosporum tobira (flowers smell like orange blossoms in spring bloom) or Pittosporum eugenioides. [Read more]
Flowermania: 8 Osteospermums for the Mediterranean Climate Garden!
I love Osteospermums (aka: Cape daisy or African daisy); these plants will bring you plenty of bang for your buck in coastal Mediterranean climates like the San Francisco Bay area, largely in locations where summers are cool.
If you live inland where summer gets hot make sure to choose Osteospermums bred for heat tolerance. If you don’t, the result will be sulking plants with few to no flowers.:(
On the coast, these daisy-like flowers bloom in abundance. Plant breeders have taken this plant and indulged in a wonderful variety of colors – from traditional purple and white to attractive bronze, yellow, pink, pumpkin, red…And there are always new varieties on the horizon. (See photos)
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Lady Banks Yellow Climbing Rose – Not your Average Rose!
If you’re looking for a thornless climber, and you love roses, here’s one to check out: Yellow Lady Bank’s Climbing Rose (Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’).
This early blooming rose won’t disappoint, AND, having almost no thorns, won’t shred you, family or friends if it grows a wee bit rambunctious in the summer. 🙂
For me, the cheery yellow flowers of ‘Lutea’ is a favorite! There is also a white variety (Rosa banksiae var. banksiae) which is another great option. For both, color is the over-all deciding factor, as they share the same thornless, rambler rose habit with the sweet, subtle fragrance of violets! [Read more]
Winter Flowers Combine a Simple Tapestry of Color and Fragrance
There is always an opportunity to create a vignette in the garden, including a lovely winter vignette!
While the winter flowering plant list is slim compared to other seasons, there are lovely ways to enjoy a hint of color during the shortest, coldest, possibly wettest days. In this short post enjoy a few plants woven together to create a simple floor plane tapestry.
Here we go, enjoy! [Read more]
3 Lovely Filler Ground Covers for Part Shade!
If you’re looking for some flowering filler ground covers that can take part shade to maybe even well I won’t say SHADE but hmm, yep, sometimes we want to push the envelope… and if you do, try the likes of Campanula poscharskyana (photo below) which is virtually pest and disease free.
Otherwise these 3 ground covers are lovely; each with their own merits! Let’s take a look…
Cuphea: Know this Easy, Flowering Plant Boasting Tons of Adorable Flowers!
Cupheas, otherwise known as firecracker plants or cigar plants constantly surprise me with their ease of care and unique gangbuster flowers. Their flowers are tiny, but so abundant you see bright, cheery color at a distance. I would say for the Mediterranean climate garden, Cupheas, with their tiny tubular hummingbird happy flowers, are an excellent addition to the garden or a container.
While the splash of color is wonderful, if you look closely at the flowers, especially some varieties, you might as well be looking at Mickey or Minnie Mouse: the adorable ears and face. Some refer to the flowers as bunny faced blooms. [Read more]
7 Variegated Succulents for your Garden!
Hi there and Happy Fall to you! Hopefully, you're still finding time to garden. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area gardening and planting is year round with mild winter temperatures making this possible. Today is October 12, 2020 and our business is … [Read more]
Salvias – 10 Best Plants for Flowers, Fragrance, Hummingbirds
There are 700 - 1000 Salvias, the largest genus in the mint family. In this post we're focusing on TEN amazing Salvia plants (Sages) for your garden or container. Blooming as we speak (late August) and flowering like gangbusters much of Spring - … [Read more]
Trees: Crape Myrtle – Summer’s Longest Bloomer!
The impact of a Crape Myrtle tree? In a recent post about Wisteria, blooms are the focus, but Wisteria blooms generally last only up to 30 days; not so with Crape Myrtle... This summer blooming tree stays in bloom 2 - 3 months, which is excellent as … [Read more]
Variegated Foliage – A Simple Way to Add Contrast in Planting Design
As you can see from the lead photo of this large hedge of variegated buckthorn (Rhamnus a. 'Variegata') variegated leaves can be a useful tool to add beautiful, easy contrast to your plant design. In this short post, take a look at the "hue … [Read more]