Wildflowers: Poppies Native to the Pacific Coast
Karen Meyers The common name, poppy, can refer to many different plants some of which are considered true poppies, while others resemble poppies but are not even in the same plant family.…
Plant Profile: Rayless Sunflower (Helianthus radula)
Karen Also known as pineland sunflower, this tender perennial is native to southeastern US from South Carolina to Florida and eastern Louisiana where it grows in sandy uplands, along moist to…
Plant Profile: Treasure Flower (Ganzania rigens)
Also called African daisy, this native to South Africa and Mozambique is a spreading tender perennial that has become naturalized on the shores of the Mediterranean and is now considered…
Plant Profile: Barber’s Diascia (Diascia barberae)
This mat forming tender perennial is native South Africa. It is a member of the figwort family, Scrophylariaceae, that also includes butterfly bush, mullein, and nemesia. Plants grow 12″ tall…
Plant Profile: Prostrate Sand Verbena (Abronia umbellata)
Also known as beach sand verbena and purple sand verbena, this tender perennial is often grown as an annual and is a member of the four o’clock family, Nyctaginaceae, that…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Sweet Majoram (Origanum majorana)
The link between the Virgin Mary and sweet majoram goes back to ancient times. In ancient Greece fragrant garlands of marjoram were given to newly weds to wear around their…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
This short lived tender perennial is native to southern Europe and North Africa but has naturalized in much of Europe where it is grown as an annual. . It is…
Plant Profile: Alstromeomeria ligtu Hybrids
The Alstromoemeria ligtu hybrids are the result of a cross between closely related genera, A. haemantha and various subpecies of A. ligtu, all tender perennials native to Chile. They grow…
Plant Profile: Stiff Twinspur (Diascia rigescens)
Also called bride’s saddle, this spreading, semi-evergreen, tender perennial is a native of South Africa where it grows in damp places on grassy mountain slopes or in full sun in…
Plant Profile: Parrot Lily (Alstroemeria psittacina aka A. pulchella)
Parrot lily is a clump-forming, tuberous perennial native to southern Brazil, northern Argentina and north-eastern Paraguay. It grows 2-3′ tall and is evergreen in mild climates. The lanceolate leaves are…