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“Lively, Exciting and Attractive” – we think vivacious plants are just as fun to hang out with as vivacious people (maybe more 😉). Verbascums, Violas and their friends the Alstromerias are three we always make a spot, to hang with, in our gardens. Both tall and small, their bright multicolored blossoms, unusually textured fuzzy foliage, or just plain beauteousness, always have customers asking “what’s that” and your neighbors will too. These vivacious lovelies are also easy to grow, are excellent cut flowers and make the birds, bees and butterflies happy too.
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Verbascum hybrid
'Southern Charm'
We’re firm believers in Verbascums for every garden and we love ‘Southern Charm’ not only for its mix of sophisticated colors, but because it’s super simple to grow and almost everblooming. If you cut back spent spikes it continuously sends up new ones 24-30” tall and is elegant with single blooms of either chamois, dusty rose or apricot, with fuzzy, purple eyes. One of those wonderful plants that makes you feel very successful even though you’ve done absolutely nothing! It’s perennial too! Not fussy about soil, it blooms more with compost. Drought tolerant, deer AND snail resistant – you just can’t go wrong!
Perennial USDA Zones 5-10a
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Verbascum bombyciferum
'Arctic Summer'
A traffic stopper in full bloom, this 5’ stunner Native to the mountains of Greece, is extremely tough and drought tolerant. Lemon yellow, 2” blooms are held on amazing 2’ across candelabra-like spikes densely covered in white fur, lasting for months. Cut back and more will appear! Spectacular, silvery, 3-5’ wide foliage rosettes are covered in white down. Easy in well-drained, poor to average soil. Self-sows! To enjoy the leaves for themselves-pinch out flowering shoots for several years. Deer resistant!
Biennial/Perennial USDA Zones 4-10
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Verbascum chaixii
'Wedding Candles'
Growing 4-5’ tall, this Verbascum puts a veritable candelabra in your garden. EASY, FAST, DROUGHT TOLERANT, and DEER RESISTANT, and it blooms continuously spring thru fall (as long as you cut back the spent spikes). You’ll love its pristine white flowers centered with fetching fuzzy purple stamens and bright orange anthers. So bridal-esque! Not fussy about soil but blooms more in rich soil and self sows reliably, creating an elegant vertical repeat pattern in the garden. Great habitat plant, too!
Perennial USDA Zones 5-11
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Viola
'Starry Night'
This hardy perennial blooms almost all year in warm winter, cool summer areas such as ours. ‘Starry Night’ features lightly fragrant 2” bright yellow flowers edged with luscious lavender and held just above a tidy mound of foliage to 6” tall and 10” wide. It is happiest and longest blooming in cool summer areas. Happiest in fertile, well-drained soil.
Perennial USDA Zones 5-10
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Viola Corsica
“Corsican Violet”
This profusely blooming PERENNIAL and COLD HARDY “Viola” - native to Corsica and Sardina - bears so many flowers as to totally obscure the foliage! Long blooming, the 1” lavender-purple blooms delight from early spring to fall, especially with dead-heading, or you can cut it back to 2” tall anytime for another round of bloom. Great in containers on shady porches.
Perennial USDA Zones 4-9
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Viola
'Etain'
Reliably perennial, Viola ‘Etan’ blooms heavily spring thru fall across the U.S. and year around in coastal California. Enchanting primrose yellow petals beautifully edged in lavender are 1” to 1.5” across, scented and perfect for with a dense neat foliage clump. Cut back to 3” tall once in a while to rejuvenate and top-dress with compost. To 10” tall.
Perennial USDA zones 4-10a
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Alstroemeria
'Ligtu Hybrids'
Back after an extended vacation, this wonderfully wildflowery "Peruvian Lily" blooms May thru fall here in the Bay Area – colors range deliciously from peachy-pinks to primrose-blushed-rose and the occasional creamy-green. All are sublime, growing in clusters atop glaucous stems and leaves to 2' tall. Spreading by rhizomes to make a dense patch 3-4' across. Prized by florists, blooms are extra long-lasting in a vase. Alstroemerias do best in fertile well-draining soil, with a dressing of compost in spring.
Perennial USDA Zones 8-10
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Alstroemeria
'Margaret'
Tall and gorgeous, ‘Margaret’ produces extra-large 2.5” flaring fuchsia blooms with speckled golden throats that are held 8-10 to a cluster atop abundant, upright 3-4’ stems. Spreading to 3-4’ across, they’re easily divided and shared with covetous friends. Clayish tolerant, they love compost-enhanced, well-drained soil, so do mix some in. Can be grown in large (20+ gal) containers, too. Cut to the ground in fall, they’ll return with vigor in spring. Deciduous. Does not self-sow! Sun/Part sun (hotter areas).
Perennial USDA zones 7-10
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Alstroemeria
'Indian Summer'
Exotic blooms of fiery copper-orange and golden-yellow glow like embers against deep burgundy foliage. The huge 2¬.5” across flowers are flecked with dark streaks that echo the foliage colo, creating a dazzling effect in the landscape. Forms a dense rhizomatous clump that spread over time, filling in its allotted space. Blooms May thru late fall. Makes an excellent cut flower, lasting up to two weeks. Easy and deer-resistant. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies!
Perennial USDA zones 7b-10
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