Garden Types
Hot & Dry Cottage Garden
I adore a traditional cottage garden but certainly don’t have the weather for it. Starting in late May, the weather begins to heat up and our summer sizzles with temperatures often above 100F well into the fall. So I’m always looking for beautiful flowers and plants that can withstand the heat, but don’t require a lot of water.
Plants for Butterfly Larvae, Butterflies and Hummingbirds
The most beautiful gardens are loaded with insects and adored by birds. Among my favorites are caterpillars, butterflies and hummingbirds. To attract them to your yard, provide plants and trees for their entire life cycle.
Winter Garden Blossoms
While the vast majority of my garden is dormant in December, there are still some gorgeous standouts that withstand frosty weather. Some, like Rudbeckia, Snapdragons, Woolly Blue Curls and Yarrow, actually bloom all year long.
California Native Wildflowers
In Western states, fall is the time for sowing California native wildflowers. When planted in the autumn, the plants have all winter to get established. The advantage to planting a mix is a glorious cascade of blossoms from very early spring to early summer. Most will generously reseed year after year.
Butterfly Garden
This year I’ve had more butterflies and moths than ever before. Among the butterflies that visit my yard are Swallowtails, Gulf Fritillary, Buckeye, Monarchs and Painted Ladies. I think it’s the convergence of several flowers together that they love.