Calendulas are the cool-season cousins of summer marigolds. These easy-to-grow annuals are nicknamed “pot marigolds” because they resemble marigolds and the leaves were once cooked in pots as a vegetable. Calendulas can be readily grown from seed. The large seeds are easy to handle and plant and they germinate quickly. Use calendulas in beds and…
Swan River daisy, Brachycome, adds a decorative flair to pots and baskets. Swan River daisy has feathery green leaves and blue, pink, purple, or white daisy-like flowers from summer to early fall. There are 60 to 70 species in this genus but only Brachycome iberidifolia is grown in gardens. B. iberidifolia can be planted in…
Annual blue salvia, Salvia farinacea, produces spikes of small purple-blue flowers from midsummer to fall. Annual blue salvia is sometimes called mealycup sage. The plant is an upright perennial often grown as an annual. Leaves are lance-shaped. Annual blue salvia has the best effect when planted in drifts in beds and borders. More than one…
Salvias are grown for their showy spikes of flowers. Flowers are 2-lipped–the upper lips erect and hooded, the lower ones are toothed and spreading. Flowers can be tubular to bell- or funnel-shaped in a wide range of colors. Salvias make up a large genus of popular garden plants. There are many species of half-hardy annuals…
There are many types of phlox. All are known for their showy flower clusters. There are tall-growing phlox that can be used as border plants and there are dwarf-growing varieties that can be used in rock gardens and as edging plants along paths. Most phlox species are perennials; the annual species Phlox drummondii is perhaps…
Salpiglossis—commonly called painted tongue–is a cool-summer annual with colorful marbled or streaked flowers. Salpiglossis blooms come in shades of mahogany, red, reddish-orange, yellow, purple, and pink. Salpiglossis is loose to densely branched with sticky leaves and stems. It grows 24 to 36 inches (61-91cm) tall. Plant Salpiglossis as a border background plant or use it…
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