Flowering cabbage—often called ornamental cabbage—is a showy accent to the fall and winter garden. The rosettes of glossy leaves have colorful marbled-patterns of white, cream, rose, and purple. Flowering cabbage is a biennial commonly grown as an annual. Ornamental kale is very similar to flowering cabbage, but its leaves are more frilly or finely cut. […] More
Callistephus–commonly called China asters–are big frilly flowers in shades of red, pink, white, lavender-blue, and purple. Low-growing asters can be used as edging, taller ones of cutting. China asters bloom from late summer to frost. China asters belong to one of two distinct genera of plants both of which are members of the daisy family. […] More
Vinca rosea (Catharanthus) is a colorful evergreen groundcover with colorful white and pink flowers. Vinca rosea is a perennial usually treated as an annual. It is sometimes called Madagascar periwinkle, but it should not be confused with the evergreen groundcover called vinca or periwinkle. Catharanthus is a good ground cover choice for summer an autumn […] More
Chinese forget-me-not, botanical name Cynoglossum, bears pendents of sky-blue, sometimes white, or pale pink flowers in late summer. Chinese-forget-me-not is a slow-growing upright and somewhat bushy annual or biennial. Cynoglossums include about 55 species of annuals, biennials, and short-lived perennials. The sprays of small tubular to funnel-shaped flowers resemble forget-me-nots.Cynoglossums often have hairy or bristly […] More
Diascia–commonly called twinspur–produces spikes of pink to lilac flowers above heart-shaped tapering leaves from summer to fall. Twinspur is a great choice for growing in pots or the front of sunny beds or in containers. Diascia has erect or sprawling stems and racemes of tubular flowers with five lobes or ‘petals.’ The bottom lobe is […] More
Texas Bluebonnet, Lupinus texensis, bears blue, pealike flowers in midsummer. Flowers are borne on long, graceful spikes from 1 to 3 feet tall. Bluebonnets are a good fit for meadows and long drives. They quickly reseed and naturalize. Get to know Texas Bluebonnet Where to plant Texas Bluebonnet When to plant Texas Bluebonnet Planting and […] More
Clarkia–commonly called Godetia–is a Western wildflower adapted to gardens. Godetias put on a showy display of subtle white, lavender, pink, red, and yellow flowers from late spring into summer. The cup-shaped flowers can be single or double. Godetia is a good choice for mixed borders and mass displays and in meadows and wildflower gardens. Sow […] More
Cosmos is an old-fashioned favorite that bears clouds of daisylike flowers on long stems above feathery foliage. Cosmos can be started from seed indoors and transplanted into the garden two or three weeks after the last frost in spring. It will bloom from late spring into autumn. Mass cosmos in large bands or groups in […] More
Zinnia is a low, bushy annual with oval dark green leaves, and red, yellow, purple, pink, and sometimes green daisy-like flowers from summer to early fall. Zinnias offer masses of color in beds and borders and can be grown in small groups in containers and pots. Zinnias are hot-weather plants. They do best after the […] More
Poppy flowers–members of the Papaver genus–are bright additions to the summer garden. Poppy flowers bear solitary or double cup-shaped flowers from 2 to 4 inches (5-10cm) across. Flowers often have a crepe-papery texture. Colors can be white, yellow, pink, red, orange, salmon, and purple. There are annual and perennial poppy flowers. Best known are the […] More
Primrose is a large genus of popular garden plants. There are at least 425 species of hardy and tender perennials commonly called primroses or primulas. Primroses are usually semi-evergreen. They produce rosettes of narrow to broadly rounded leaves and clusters of tubular, bell-shaped, or funnel-shaped flowers. The name primrose is believed to come from the […] More
Veronica, best known as speedwell, is a vigorous, easy-to-grow plant with a rich palette of colors including true blue, violet-blue, pink, and white. Veronica is a group of long-blooming annuals and perennials. Speedwells grow 12 to 36 inches tall depending on the species. They bear colorful 6- to 8-inch spikes of tiny flowers mostly in […] More
Stephen Albert