3 minSenecio candicans 'Senaw' (PP28,830)For those of us familiar with the feathery, strikingly silver foliage of dusty millers, or Jacobaea maritima, this is not it! Please...
3 minDahlia imperialisImagine a plant lying dormant all through winter looking like a few old remnants of desiccated bamboo. Then in spring, little tuffs of...
4 minLamprocapnos spectabilisNo better common name for Lamprocapnos spectabilis than bleeding heart as it reveals its teardrop when the heart breaks. Its species...
3 minTeucrium x lucidrysThis little germander always finds its way into my gardens, in part for its versatility. I have primarily specified T. x lucidrys as...
4 minSolidago velutina ssp. californicaWelcome to floral sunshine in the native garden! Solidago velutina ssp. californica, or California goldenrod, is not well known among...
3 minEpilobium canumUshering in the autumn season is California fuchsia, or Epilobium canum. When so many other native perennials are already withering or...
5 minChysanthemum x morifoliumThere are two secrets I will now share with you that many within California's horticultural and landscape industries already know. The...
3 minSalvia reptansAn intriguing sage unlike any other I am used to growing, Salvia reptans offers a unique texture in the garden. Unfortunately, it is one...
3 minLimonium pereziiValley Water, Santa Clara County's water authority, has been a leading influence in helping community members find practical and creative...
2 minVerbena rigidaRecently, I posted about Verbena bonariensis, a rigid, upright perennial that's character is more aligned with our subject today, V....
3 minCoreopsis grandifloraWith a species epithet like grandiflora, meaning with large flowers, one should have great expectations, but let's temper our excitement...
3 minAster chilensis 'Purple Haze'Asters are a treat in autumn, mostly blooming just before chrysanthemums. Many are showy and exhibit a color range from white to shades...
4 minVerbena bonariensisUnlike most perennials, Verbena bonariensis provides a unique texture and height in a border garden. Rigidly upright and topped with...
2 minGeranium 'Johnson's Blue'Who else was raised thinking geraniums were red, white, pink or orange, usually found in hanging pots or in window boxes? That was my...
2 minAchillea millifolium 'Paprika'There are a number of cultivars of A. millifolium, but 'Paprika' stands out for me thus prompting this separate post. The facts below...
3 minRudbeckia hirtaCottage gardens and perennial borders cannot exist without Rudbeckia hirta. Okay, that is an overstatement, but their daisy-like flowers...
3 minAchillea millefoliumMany California natives are exclusively indigenous to California or the West Coast, but Achillea millefolium has broadened its reach to...
3 minBrugmansia x candida"Fabulous!" is not exclaiming enough about these showy flowers on a very large "perennial" plant. Usually when I think of perennials,...
3 minTulbaghia violaceaPssssst......landscape designers......over here...make sure your client or the users of your landscape LOVE garlic before planting this...
2 minAstilbe chinensisIf 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...