Pansies are the colorful flowers with “faces.” A cool-weather favorite, pansies are great for both spring and fall gardens!  Good for containers, borders, and as ground cover, they are a go-to flower for reliable color almost year-round. Pansies look pretty on their own in a monochrome scheme or in mixed colors; they also look pretty […]

The term “scented-leaved geraniums” refers to a group of species within the very large Pelargonium genus known to have leaves that emit a fragrance when touched or lightly bruised. Common name notwithstanding, it’s important to note that this entire group is different than the various cranesbill geraniums, or “true geraniums”—the plants that have the rightful claim to […]

They may look to you like feathery plumes, a rooster’s comb, or an alien’s brain. It’s easy to anthropomorphize this charming garden flower, also known as cockscomb, which sparkles in rainbow hues all season in your full sun garden from summer to fall. The National Garden Bureau declared 2006 to be the year of the celosia, […]

Bright yellow sunflowers are the poster flower of summer. They typically begin blooming in the mid-summer and can persist into early fall. The flowers, which stretch around 3 to 6 inches across on average, have a wide central disk surrounded by short petals. The main species plant features orange-yellow petals with a brown or purple disk, […]

Marigolds are cheerful, compact annuls with flower shapes that can resemble daisies, coreopsis and even carnations. Although native to Mexico, you can grow marigold plants virtually anywhere. They are widely adaptable and extremely low-maintenance. They also grow quickly and can be direct-seeded after the last frost in spring for a summer of bright blooms. Types […]

Gaura is a low-maintenance perennial that may give coneflower a run for its money in the cultivated wildflower popularity contest. In fact, the origin of its name comes from the Greek word gauros, which means superb. Also known as wandflower, whirling butterfly, and bee blossom, gaura can range from 15 inches to 4 feet tall, but most new cultivars are bred to be […]