Interesting Information about plants that can be grown in and outside of California
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Posted by admin on May 11, 2009
The pink poppy in the photo below is about three and a half feet in height. Because I’ve grown this poppy in good compost rich soil, and only watered it every 2-3 weeks, it has become more drought tolerant. It gets about 3/4 a day of sunlight. Without a full day of sunlight it stretched up high to reach the sun at various times. This is our favorite poppy seed.
Tall Pink Poppy
Posted by admin on March 2, 2009
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
Posted by admin on
Lavender is one of the most aromatic, rewarding perennial plants to grow. After Lavender gets established it can be a wonderful drought tolerant plant. The foliage and flowers of a lavender plant are usually nicely fragrant. The flowers can be purple, white, or a combination. Foliage can be green to silver to bluish.
A Dense Variety of Lavender
Lavender plants attract butterflies to the garden as well as bees and other beneficial insects. Lavender plants like part or full sun, with six or more hours of direct sun being ideal.
Lavender with Tall Flower Spikes
For the first number of months that you grow Lavender, it is important to water regularly. After the plant is established, a more arid dry environment is permitted due to the deep roots of the plant. Lavender plants bloom generally in the summer. Spacing between Lavender plants is usually best to be between 15 to 25 inches. Lavender plants grow at a medium pace but can grow fast. Generally Lavender will be one foot to 3 feet in height, and can be anywhere from 2 inches wide when young to many feet wide when established. Lavender is generally not happy below 32°F. It is best to cut back lavender flowers after flowering To promote more bloom. It is not important to fertilize lavender, but some can be beneficial. When planting use a porous mixture with compost, sand, and other well-drained rich nutrients. The average size of a lavender plant is about 3′ x 3′.
Lavender Blooming Like Crazy
