Lupinus albifrons

Easily our favorite California native Lupine – a total must have for any native enthusiast! Heck – this is a fabulous plant even if you're out of state. Silky silver leaves form a 3-5' dome over woody stems and in Spring (and often over a longer period into the early part of Summer) the most majestic display of 1' long, fat spikes of purple and white flowers appear. Swooningly fragrant, their grape soda smell wafts around the garden in the most delicious way! Bees and butterflies are attracted in droves, as are passersby and garden visitors. It's hard to resist stopping for a sniff and admiring this plant's lovely show! Fast growing to 3', this DROUGHT TOLERANT, DEER RESISTANT plant is also fabulously long-lived! Many of the perennial native Lupines will hang around for a few years and then decline, but this one sticks around for the long haul! Eventually, the base will get quite woody but avoid hard pruning, as this will upset the plant. A lean, well-drained soil is preferred and once established, you can forget about watering during Summer – let it go dry! This will prolong the life of the plant in the long run and save you some water in the process. Self-sows a little bit but don't worry about getting a Lupine forest! You may get a few free plants over the years, but it is not super-prolific. Individual plants vary slightly and because the natural range of this species is so broad, there can be an even broader amount of variation in the wild, from tiny rock garden plants to greater than 5' up and out. Flower color can be anywhere from deep royal purple to a light lavender. Our mother plants have been 4' at maturity in height and width with a very silver leaf and a tall purple flower. Makes a fabulous show with other natives – any California Poppies, Eriogonums, Layia, Encelia, Penstemons ... or try pairing with other drought tolerant Mediterranean friends like Verbascum 'Arctic Summer', Papaver atlanticum 'Flore Pleno', Echium gentianoides, Tanacetum niveum – too many to name!

Sun. Low Water. Native Perennial.
USDA Zones 8-10

Dianthus
'Lady Granville'

A fine old heirloom variety with super long stems, rigidly upright, that make this one of the nicest Dianthus for tall bouquets and fab in the garden, 'cos the flowers don't flop! White blooms have heavily pinked petal edges and a lusciously deep raspberry center that sometimes creeps into the edges of the petals. Yum! 1840 is this plant's year of introduction and it's easy to see why it's stayed in cultivation for so long. What charm! The clove scent of the flowers is less heavy than that of 'Rose de Mai,' but still present. Heaviest bloom is in May, with an extended bloom if the plant is kept dead-headed. Like most Dianthus, a well-drained soil will make for a happier and longer lived plant. Put it at the edge of a raised bed or path or in a pot to help facilitate drainage. Plants are about 2' high at bloom time, 4” when not and foliage clumps can span 2' or so.

Sun. Avg. Water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 5-11

Gladiolus splendens

New! New! New! This is the first year we have offered this dazzling South African bulb for sale! How ever could we resist growing this strange and striking Gladiola? South Africa brings us such bizarre and beautiful things! Vivid scarlet blooms appear on 2'+ stems in earliest Spring. The upper tepal of the flower is spoon shaped, and the two flanking ones spread out like big red dumbo ears. Neat! Lower tepals are strongly diminished and green, lending to the flower's curious appearance. Flowers are arranged evenly & symmetrically along the stems, which naturally list to the side as if this plant was too cool for school. A perfectly sturdy garden plant, returning reliably and increasing itself annually. It's also tolerant of dry AND wet soils, as well as CLAY. Wow! A lovely cut flower, of course, and irresistible to our local hummingbirds.

Petunia axillaris
“Wild White Petunia”

Bow down the long lost (or I should say rarely found?) ancestor of all Petunias! This long blooming, garden worthy, FRAGRANT and PERENNIAL species is the great granddaddy to the ubiquitous bedding plant and far superior! It's true, many people really like the gaudy man-made Petunias of today, but I sure don't! This species plant is full of all of the charm and grace that your average annual Petunias lack, and it has one thing that Petunia integrifolia (one of the only other Petunias worth growing, in my opinion!) does not have – scent! Yum! The 2” white trumpet flowers with long tubes are particularly fragrant at night, when they're trying to bring all the night flying pollinators in. Very bushy and with many upright stems, individual plants will grow 2'x2'. Expect a long bloom through Spring andSummer if you keep the plant dead-headed. Prune back by half occasionally to rejuvenate growth. This will be our only crop this year, so get 'em before they're gone!!

Part Sun/Sun. Avg Water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 9-11

Sparaxis elegans

Here's a hottie! Salmoney orange flowers with neon violet and black markings make this bulb a keeper. The fact that this species is naturally adapted to our climate and seasons makes it stick around! When in full bloom you can see this beauty from quite a distance – the orange color really draws your eye! Plants top about one foot in height, and will eventually form clumps or stands, increasing in number each year. Leaves are distinctively broadened and spoon shaped at the top, which makes it easy to pick out from the other bulbs that come up at about the same time (early December in these parts.) Though this species, like many from the Winter rainfall area of South Africa, is dormant in Summer and completely deciduous, you don't need to worry about withholding water. If you let it go completely dry during this time, it won't disturb the plant in the slightest, but water during Summer doesn't do damage either, so it's your choice. Like all of our South African bulbs, this crop will be available for a limited time! Their unique charms make them hard to keep in stock, so if you're considering adding this rarity to you garden, I suggest picking it up now! This is peak season for our rare bulbs.

Sun. Low/Avg. Water. Perennial.
USDA Zones 9-11