California Plants

Growing Violas, also known as Johnny Jump Ups, is a real pleasure. This annual blooms from spring to early summer, about 5-8 inches in height. Although it can be bought in a pot, we would recommend starting it from seed, as we did in this photo. This hardy plant is great as a ground cover, and can grow in sun or partial shade. The flowers of this one in the photo are edible. Here is a yellow and purple variety, a blue variety, a unique yellow and black variety, and an orange and purple variety.

Violas also known as Johnny Jump Ups

Sunflowers are quite an amazing annual. They can grow in sunny, somewhat foggy, and partial shade areas. They can be anywhere between 2-14 feet in height, with one to ten flowers on a plant. They grow fast, and many tolerate substandard soils. They are also fairly drought tolerant. Many are so tough, wind does not bother them. They can be used for a privacy screen between your house and that of a neighbor. To do this, we recommend not just one row, but 2-3.

We recommend planting sunflowers in pots or a clearly defined area first. That way, when they sprout, they can be replanted to exactly their final location.

After a sunflower is done blooming, we recommend cutting the head and drying it to keep the seeds. Another way to keep the seeds for later growing is to put a thin cloth around the head and twist tie it. Or, of course if you like you can let birds eat the seeds when it is done flowering.

Below is a photo taken today in our San Francisco California garden. These sunflowers are 3-7 feet in height. They would have grown taller, but we experimented here with letting them all grow in small pots until they were 1-2 feet tall, and then planted them out. This meant they were used to being confined so now will not grow as tall. That is a good way if you like to control the size of your sunflower plants. Click here to see our favorite sunflowers.

One of Many Sunflowers Blooming Right Now in our SF, CA Garden

Sunflowers in our San Francisco California garden

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Poppies are an amazing wildflower that have been around for thousands of years. Being a wildflower, they are easy to grow and are also drought tolerant. You can grow them from seed indoors (start 5 inches apart) and then bring outdoors after last frost, or start outdoors. Poppy flowers stand at a height of 12 inches to 24 inches on average. Poppies don’t bloom very long, and because of this I recommend planting them among other wildflowers or perennials.

They like well drained soil, half to a full day of sun, and intermittent watering. Often they can be seen on roadsides so it is clear they are easy to grow. But they are a beautiful addition to the home garden as well. Poppies come from many parts of the world, so are quite versatile. Poppies come in many colors, such as yellow, red, pink, and orange. Some are annuals and others are perennial varieties. Birds love poppy seeds, but they can also be used for cooking.

Poppies don’t like to be transplanted, so remember that the pot you start out with will be kept as is while they grow, or their whole root ball will need to be sunk into the ground intact. I would suggest fertilizing poppies once per month with an organic fertilizer. If you like, you can let poppies go to seed after blooming. Or, to promote more flowering, deadhead plants after each finishes flowering.

Growing Red Poppies

Growing a Pink Poppy

Bacopa can be a terrific, fast growing, trailing annual to grow as a ground cover. This plant is very floriferous, growing about 2 - 3 inches in height. It is important that this plant receive at least 2-3 hours of sun. Ideal is 6 or more hours of sun. This plant acts as a perennial so far in San Francisco, California. We have found it spreads in all directions. These can have small white or purple flowers. As you can see in the photo of this one, the one we grow has white flowers. This ground cover likes to have soil that does not dry out too much in between waterings. It can bloom from the summer to fall, but for us it has bloomed in winter and spring as well. We generally fertilize this plant every month or two. We recommend this book about ground covers.

Bacopa Trailing Annual

Dwarf Sunflowers are terrific as an annual to grow each year in your garden, or to use as a cut flower.  These plants are easy to grow from seed.  They can flower quite early in the spring and due to their dwarf growth habit, they have strong stems which can hold up well in a bouquet with other flowers.  A dwarf sunflower generally grows from 1 foot to 2 feet in height.  The Dwarf Sunflower in this photo is about 16 inches in height.  These flowers are generally 3-6 inches in diameter.  Dwarf Sunflowers are great for borders, container use, or as cut flowers.  The seeds go very far with Dwarf Sunflowers.  That means a small number of seeds can cover quite a nice sized area. They can be sown directly in the soil in the spring after the last frost, planted in containers to later be moved into the garden, or even kept as is.  Dwarf Sunflowers like rich, well drained soil.  Dwarf Sunflowers do best with a good amount of water.  The best amount of sun for a sunflower is at least six hours, preferably a full day of sun. Dwarf Sunflowers grow best when fertilized. The Dwarf Sunflower in this photo is a few months old, from seed to bloom!

Three Month Old Dwarf Sunflower From Seed to Bloom

Marigolds can be one of the most fun and rewarding annual plants to grow from seed at home.  Marigolds exhibit beautiful, brilliant yellow, orange, or red blooms.  They have compact bushy growth and can bloom for weeks to months.  Although marigolds can be planted from seed directly in the garden, I prefer to plant seeds in a sterile medium inside it the house in a window, in the basement under lights, or in the garden in trays.  This way once plants are large enough, they can be transplanted into the garden.  Marigolds are terrific for container gardening, sunny borders, or filling in empty areas between other plants.  Marigolds do not tolerate frost well so should be planted in the spring after danger of frost.  Marigolds like full sun.  Seeds can be planted 1/4″ in depth.  I generally plant marigolds seeds very close together and then thin them to between 1 inch to 12 inches apart.  The amount that you thin them will depend on how dense you want your marigolds to grow.  The marigolds in the photo, Happy Days Red, are planted very close together for a more impressive show.  Most marigolds bloom at a height of 3 inches to 12 inches. The marigolds in this photo are about three months old, from seed to bloom.

Marigold Happy Days Red in my Garden Border Started from Seed

There are a number of tips I provide here to help you deadhead your annuals to get repeat blooms in your garden at home.

1. Use your fingers or pruner to pinch off your dead plant blooms. Depending on ths thickness of the plant, you can choose one or the other.
2. Not only does deadheading annuals help get repeat blooms, but it also keeps your garden more fresh and clean looking. The more often you deadhead plants by removing spent blooms, the more profuse your blooming will be in time.
3. As you deadhead plants, collect spent blooms and compost them. This will do three things, including keeping the garden in clean shape, providing compost in the future, and preventing seeds from sprouting.