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Color Whimsy Garden 1
New Zealand Flax, Purple
Dusty Miller, Silver Groundsel
Jerusalem Sage
California Poppy, Golden Poppy
Artichoke
Double Sunburst Coreopsis
Iceland Poppy
Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily
Chamomile, Roman Chamomile
New Zealand Flax, Purple

Common name:New Zealand Flax, Purple
Botanical name:Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum'

Phormium tenax 'Atropurpureum' is an evergreen perennial. Big, dramatic plant composed of many swordlike, stiffly vertical leaves can reach 5' tall. Leaves are purple red. Flowers stems reach high above leaves, bearing clusters of 1"-2" blossoms in dark red.

Dusty Miller, Silver Groundsel

Common name:Dusty Miller, Silver Groundsel
Botanical name:Senecio cineraria

The Dusty Miller exhibits growth to 1' or more, with velvet gray leaves that have broad, roundish lobes. Yellow flower heads appear through the middle of the plant during most months of the year. Cut heads back occasionally to encourage bushiness.

Jerusalem Sage

Common name:Jerusalem Sage
Botanical name:Phlomis fruticosa

This hardy perennial is a useful, old-time garden plant with coarse, woolly gray green, wrinkled leaves and yellow, 1" flowers in ball-shaped whorls. It handles drought and poor soils but needs full sun.

California Poppy, Golden Poppy

Common name:California Poppy, Golden Poppy
Botanical name:Eschscholzia californica

This small annual (sometimes acts as a perennial) plant will grow to less than 1' tall and has light, small blue green leaves with gold and orange flowers that bloom in spring and summer.

Artichoke

Common name:Artichoke
Botanical name:Cynara scolymus

This perennial will grow 4' tall and 6'-8' wide. It has silvery green leaves with bluish purple flowers that bloom in spring. Artichoke is a favorite fruit/vegetable of California kitchens but it is a great ornamental plant often overlooked for color contrast. It is very tolerant of little water when planted for ornamental purposes.

Double Sunburst Coreopsis

Common name:Double Sunburst Coreopsis
Botanical name:Coreopsis grandiflora 'Double Sunburst'

The 'Double Sunburst' is a wonderful cultivar and a showy, Southern U.S. native. Golden yellow, double flowers on 2' bushy plants bloom from June to September in full sun and average to dry soils. It makes for good cut flowers, and pruning keeps the plants abundant with blooms. -Holland WIldflower Farm

Iceland Poppy

Common name:Iceland Poppy
Botanical name:Papaver nudicaule

This Iceland Poppy produces leaves that are divided with flowers, appearing on stems 1'-2' high. These flowers are cup-shaped to 3" across, and come in colors of yellow, orange, salmon, rose, pink and cream.

Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily

Common name:Butterfly-Iris, Fortnight Lily
Botanical name:Dietes iridioides

This clumping evergreen Iris bears tall, narrow leaves to 30" tall and white flowers marked purple in the center on stalks up to 3' tall. This variety has stiffer, darker foliage than the bicolor form. It requires sun to part shade with little or no summer watering when established. -Monterey Bay Nursery

Chamomile, Roman Chamomile

Common name:Chamomile, Roman Chamomile
Botanical name:Chamaemelum nobile

This evergreen perennial will grow 3"-12" tall and works well as a groundcover. It produces flowers from midsummer to fall and does best in light shade to full sun. It can be mowed occasionally to control height and makes a good lawn substitute.

Designer: Unknown

Color Whimsy Garden 1

Photographer: GardenSoft

Soils and Compost:

Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.

Integrated Pest Management:

Remove irrigation water and fertilizer from areas where you don't want weeds to grow.