Plant Pick: California Poppies
It’s easy to see why California poppies, Eschscholzia californica, have made their way into the hearts of gardeners throughout the world. Their golden and...
Plant Pick: Hollyhocks
Tough as nails, charming and a pollinator powerhouse. Hollyhocks are what's new again. If you haven't grown them before now's the time to plant....
What to Grow
It's hard to go wrong with black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia spp.). They're lovely no matter how or where you plant them, pairing well with most...
The Hollyhocks Made Me Do It
My love for this old-fashioned, five petaled variety of Hollyhock, Alcea rosea, is not all consuming to distraction, but is a love one might...
Plant Pick: Happy Wanderer
Who doesn’t want to be happy? Happy Wanderer, Hardenbergia violacea, brings more than cheer and free spirit to the garden. It’s an enduring, hard...
4 Cosmos for Your Cutting Garden
It often happens that the best flowers are also easy to grow, and Cosmos is definitely in this category. If you’d like to start...
Plant Pick: Purple Sage
Do you have favorite routes, detours and round-about paths you take simply to glimpse a particular plant or flower? I've traveled past this planting more times than I can...
How to Store Dahlia Tubers
Dahlia growing is serious business. It’s no casual, cut flower gardening past time but something gardeners embark upon year after year as if sanity...
A Gardener’s Best Friend
What do a dog and a lesser known California sage have in common? Well, technically nothing. However, a few weeks back I was witness...
Dark Star for a Grey Day
I tried to get a decent photo of this particular shrub, Ceanothus 'Dark Star', but it proved to be a challenge. It sits in...
6 Bulbs to Plant Now for Spring
I'll take flowers in any season, but flowers that follow winter always stop me in my tracks. Especially when materializing (as if out of...
The Best Dahlias for You and the Bees
The best dahlias for you and the bees have centers that bees can reach through what are sometimes many layers of petals.
Single-Flowered Dahlias
If you're...
Fremontia
California Fremontia, Fremontodendron californicum, is one of my all time favorite plants. To qualify this, I have an endless list of favorite plants, from...
Plant Pick: Clematis
Who doesn't love summer long blooms? If you're looking for a perennial vine that is as charming as it is resilient Clematis (Clematis spp.) could be exactly...
Bring Blooms Inside
The contrast of a flowering fruit tree on a winters day is like a chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream. A perfect combination. The...
Echinops in Bloom
I was first introduced to Echinops by a friend. It was growing in her San Francisco garden and it was striking. A globe of...
Growing Flowers with Spin: Upcycled Bicycle Gardens
Check out this community inspired project. Curbside, upcycled bicycle gardens along the lanes of Crystal Beach, Ontario. Fab, fun and funky, these gardens are part...
Grow More Flowers
I started my New Year’s resolution early, direct seeding these poppies, Papaver somniferum, in October. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but they've been on...
Plant Pick: Blanket Flower
Just when you thought it was time to hunker down for winter fall flowers come into play, toying with the senses and punctuating the...
More Friday Flowers
I think I might crave flowers as much as certain, before mentioned, fruits and veggies. They go hand-in-hand. It might be tomato eating season but...
