Plant Profile: Lupine (Lupinus ) Russell hybrid
Karen The showy three to four foot tall spikes of pea-like flowers in early and mid-summer make Russel hybrid lupines a garden favorite. Bred by George Russell in the early 1900s…
Plant Profile: Matilija Poppy aka California Poppy Tree (Romneya coulteri)
Matilija poppy is a deciduous suckering subshrub native to Southern California and Baja California where it grows and is associated with chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities. It is…
Plant Profile: Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)
Spanish lavender is a bushy evergreen shrubs and native to the Mediterranean area. The pink to purple flowers of are produced in spring and early summer in terminal spikes on…
Plant Profile: Sapphire Tower (Puya alpestris)
Sapphire Tower is a succulent native to the Chilean Andes and in the pineapple family. It produces a rosette of arching gray-green leaves with backward pointing spines on their margins.…
Plant Profile: Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata)
Native to the fields and prairies of central US, this mat-forming herbaceous perennial is a member of the mallow family, Malvaceae, that also includes hollyhock, hibiscus, and coffee. It grows…
Plant Profile: Umbrella Bamboo (Fargesia murielae)
One of the most beautiful of all bamboos, umbrella bamboo is non-invasive and features a weeping habit. The arching stems (culms) are blue green at first but mature to yellow-green…
Plant Profile: Flannel Bush (Fremontodendron californicum)
Flannel bush is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to California, Arizona, and Baha Mexico where it may found in canyons and on mountain slopes in chaparral and open…
Plant Profile: Variegated Bulbous Oat Grass (Arrhenatherum elatius bulbosum ‘Variegatum’)
A native of Europe, variegated bulbous oat grass is a cool weather deciduous perennial grass that forms an attractive slowly spreading loose clump. The bluish green leaves are 12-16” long…
Plant Profile: Silver Streak Bamboo (Bashania fargesii)
This native of high elevations in central China is a vigorous, rhizomatous bamboo that spreads quickly by runners. It is excellent for erosion control, as a hedge, screen or windbreak,…
Plant Profile: English Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata)
This European native is a deciduous shrub or small tree with inch long prominent thorns that are sharp and tough enough to pierce a car tire. In fact, it has…