My neighbor’s hollyhocks are blooming again. They tower over her garden with huge flowers and I admit to being a wee bit jealous. The old-fashioned garden hollyhock of my childhood storybooks is also called Althaea rosea. They are native to the Mediterranean region which means they make perfect flowers for a low water yard. See? Read More…
Category: FloralFriday
Pink Roses, White Flowering Privet And Lavender
The lavender has been blooming for about a month now and is continuing to get new buds. Also blooming this Friday are roses, here are a few Double Delight roses with pretty pink edges and creamy centers. The other rose is a striped variety with fun vertical stripes in deep pink and white. After a Read More…
Blue Flowering Sage with Fiery Skipper Butterfly
This week I have photos of my sage herbs in flower. Not only does it taste great in my sauces and stews, it really looks beautiful in the garden.This Mediterranean native plant has been established for a few years and now lives on rainfall alone.It has tall spikes of blue flowers loved by bees, butterflies Read More…
What’s Blooming In Southern California This April
Wondering what to plant now that will bloom next spring? Here are a few heat-resistant, drought-tolerant ideas for you. All of the plants in my garden are growing on rainfall alone. Umm, OK, when it was 120 degrees last year I may have given them a little extra water, but that was it, really. I Read More…
Spring Flowers In Southern California
Warm weather is bringing flower blossoms and sprouting bulbs here in Los Angeles. Here are a few pretty baubles blessing my garden right now: Lavender is blooming all over. We’ve has a few bouts of rain lately and the lavender is putting on an extra fragrant show. This one is in my ‘back 40’; an Read More…
Hot Pink Flowering Bougainvillea
Here’s a quick late night Friday Floral for you; the bougainvilleas are blooming here in southern California, and putting on quite a show. Their colors can range from purple to reds, pinks or white, but my favorites are the hot pink versions. This one is climbing over a fence in my neighborhood. Once they get Read More…
Fall Planting Tips: 3 Flowering Succulent Plants For Drought Tolerant Gardens And Containers
Succulents are plants that are able to store water in their stems and leaves, enabling them to live for long periods of time without water. They are similar to cactus but without the thorns (usually). This is a very large grouping of plants with many different colors, leaf shapes and growth habits. Most flowering succulent Read More…
Fall Planting Time: Four Flowering Shrubs for Dry Southwestern Gardens
Fall is just around the corner and for gardeners in the southwestern US, it is a great time to think about planting perennial, flowering shrubs. This is also a great time to plan out your landscape for next year, including preparing for more drought! Benefits of planting in autumn is a little extra free water Read More…
Awesome Aechmea Bromeliad Flower Performance Continues!
Just in time for #FloralFriday on theGardenPages; the flowers on my Aechmea (Urn Plant) just keep getting better. I showed you the prickly pink flowers when they first emerged from my Urn Plant. Now they have continued flowering with added features! The blooms develop what look like extra flowers consisting of deep blue petals deep Read More…
Texas Ranger; Brave Bloomer in Hot Dry Gardens for #FloralFriday
This brave plant currently blooming in 100 degree heat is called Texas Ranger or Leucophyllum frutescens. It is also one of the oddest plants I have grown, but more about that later. After a few years of getting established it is really blooming this year. Most Leucophyllums have purple flowers with more of an open Read More…