Revised 7-4-11
The yellow wildflowers in the photo to the right are known as
Pretty Face, and they were spectacular one spring. The purplish-pink flowers on the left are called
Farewell-to-Spring, or Herald-of-Summer. As the name implies,
these blooms let you know the season is about to change.
WILDFLOWER IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
For the last several years I've been building a guide specific to our region.
I've divided the wildflower photos by color, and it's easy to move from one color to another by clicking on the matching flower color. Both a closeup and whole-plant view are provided for most wildflowers. The basic pages are set up with thumbnail views arranged in table form. To view a larger photo, click on the thumbnail image. To return to the color page, click your browser's back button.
Most wildflowers have at least a few notes about their characteristic. If the flower in which you are interested has the word NOTES in the table box, click on it to see a description and unusual or interesting facts. To return to where you were, click BACK.
Hopefully my photography has improved with each year, and I add new species to the list annually. I encourage anyone who has information about any of these wildflowers to contact me regarding errors, new identifications, or suggested additions.
Click
to check it out, but be warned that these pages are graphic-intensive and some
colors take
a few minutes to load.
You may also go to the
Wildflower Index,
which offers a complete listing by common names and Latin names, all
color-coded.
MY OWN GARDEN
My
lot is small--until I start working on it. Then it seems
rather gigantic! The back area is mostly roses, and many
are in containers because the soil is heavy clay and gophers are
a big problem.
All my tea roses are in the ground, but the miniature roses are planted in pots. I experimented with growing several miniatures in one large pot, and in one case I have seven colors. Pretty spectacular when they're all blooming.
Along our driveway is a strip of land covered with river rock, and we have various sizes and types of flower pots. Favorites include pansies, violas, Gloriosa Daisy, and geraniums. The north side has various colors of Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) interspersed with rosemary. Here and there I've planted iris, lilies, and various bulbs. The front yard is very shaded by an ornamental pear tree, so I don't grow too many plants there.
I allow certain plants to go to seed and come up each year. Mexican Evening Primrose is spectacular in spring with masses of pink cup-shaped blooms. The patch in the front is now done, but in the back it still looks great.
Feverfew grows readily and needs little water. Its small white flowers are a nice contrast to other plants, although it tends to take over. Alyssum, both white and shades of lavender, self-seed each year.
Oak Titmice plant sunflower seeds, and
occasionally I let a few grow.
One year we had a sunflower
like Jack's beanstalk, about 10 feet high and 12 feet wide.
It turned out to be Mexican Sunflower,
and interestingly enough, none has come up since!
