For those of us familiar with the feathery, strikingly silver foliage of dusty millers, or Jacobaea maritima, this is not it! Please...

Imagine a plant lying dormant all through winter looking like a few old remnants of desiccated bamboo. Then in spring, little tuffs of...

No better common name for Lamprocapnos spectabilis than bleeding heart as it reveals its teardrop when the heart breaks. Its species...

This little germander always finds its way into my gardens, in part for its versatility. I have primarily specified T. x lucidrys as...

Welcome to floral sunshine in the native garden! Solidago velutina ssp. californica, or California goldenrod, is not well known among...

Ushering in the autumn season is California fuchsia, or Epilobium canum. When so many other native perennials are already withering or...

There are two secrets I will now share with you that many within California's horticultural and landscape industries already know. The...

An intriguing sage unlike any other I am used to growing, Salvia reptans offers a unique texture in the garden. Unfortunately, it is one...

Valley Water, Santa Clara County's water authority, has been a leading influence in helping community members find practical and creative...

Recently, I posted about Verbena bonariensis, a rigid, upright perennial that's character is more aligned with our subject today, V....

With a species epithet like grandiflora, meaning with large flowers, one should have great expectations, but let's temper our excitement...

Asters are a treat in autumn, mostly blooming just before chrysanthemums. Many are showy and exhibit a color range from white to shades...

Unlike most perennials, Verbena bonariensis provides a unique texture and height in a border garden. Rigidly upright and topped with...

Who else was raised thinking geraniums were red, white, pink or orange, usually found in hanging pots or in window boxes? That was my...

There are a number of cultivars of A. millifolium, but 'Paprika' stands out for me thus prompting this separate post. The facts below...

Cottage gardens and perennial borders cannot exist without Rudbeckia hirta. Okay, that is an overstatement, but their daisy-like flowers...

Many California natives are exclusively indigenous to California or the West Coast, but Achillea millefolium has broadened its reach to...

"Fabulous!" is not exclaiming enough about these showy flowers on a very large "perennial" plant. Usually when I think of perennials,...

Pssssst......landscape designers......over here...make sure your client or the users of your landscape LOVE garlic before planting this...

If you can grow false spirea in your garden, or your gardener is successful, well then, my garden hat is off as I bow. The more commonly...