I like sunflowers so I sprinkle them around the acre to add some visual interest and keep the birds and bees happy. This one is Moulin Rouge, which I picked up along with a number of other varieties from @johnys_seeds. The depth of the red color in this one is a real show stopper.
Several years ago my wife was given this Peruvian Lily as a houseplant. It didn't do particularly well in the house (in fact, I thought it was dead), so I dumped it into the garden near the strawberry planter. Not only was the plant not dead, but it thrives in the dry soil and treats us to this show every spring through autumn.
September is a tough month for plants here in San Diego. The end of summer brings lots of heat and sun, it hasn't rained in six months, and we're in the midst of a drought so I water only sparingly. As a result, there's just a few plants that actually look good this time of year and Leonotus leourus or Lion's Mane happens to be one of them. It's a native of Southern Africa and does quite well here in [keep reading...]
I didn't always like these plants and even went so far to chop this one all the way to the ground. When it grew back it came back as two plants. One produces pink blooms, the other blue. Kinda neat.
Years ago I got a seed packet of German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) which I planted because my wife thought it'd be neat to have some for herbal tea. Since then it's nativized itself in section of the yard and so every spring I have a field of chamomile in which our ducks nest and plenty of critters hide. Even though it's kind of a pest, the flowers and sweet smell are kind of nice. There are worse weeds.
Nothing particularly special about this plant other than I never actually planted it. I think it came in with some plants that someone gave me and decided to stay. These days, I've got dozens growing in semi shady areas without any care. The purple, yellow and white flowers really look nice in contrast to the shady green around them.
Cleveland Sage (salvia clevelandii) is a native sage that grows readily around here. This time of year its fragrant, woodsy flowers are generally covered with bees and hummingbirds. You can dry the blossoms and leaves, mix them with dried lavender and you've got a potpourri that'll beat anything you could get in the store.
The Vincent kiwi over the threshold from the upper yard to the orchard is in bloom. This is a male flower.
I started these in a four inch pot in my pond about six years ago. The plant's rhizomes are now thicker that a tree trunk so I have to chop them back every year. No matter how much I chop off though, they always seem to come back in force.
