Parsley

A biennial usually grown as an annual, curly-leaf parsley is an attractive edging for herb, vegetable, or flower gardens; in cooking, its prized for garnishes. Flat-leaf parsley (also called Italian parsley) has a s

Corm

Like a true bulb, a corm is a stem base--but its tissue is solid, without scales. Roots grow from a basal plate at the bottom of the corm; the growth point is at the corms top. Gladiolus and crocus are two familiar

Five herbs for your tea plot

Many herbs make excellent teas; we grew the following in Sunsets test garden. Most of these plants prefer full sun and well-drained soil (in hot climates, give mint some shade). Buy plants in 3-inch pots.Anise hysso

Cohens succulent bouquets

Select wide, shallow containers. Since many succulents are wider than they are tall, planters of the same proportions are usually the most aesthetically pleasing. Terra-cotta dishes arent the only options. For insta

Lime carpet

Equally at home as a low-growing groundcover or when cascading down the sides of a container, Sedum rupestre Angelina is tough to beat for its versatility and ability to thrive in varying conditions.This succulent g

Warm-season grasses

Unlike cool-season grasses, warm-season sorts go partially to completely dormant during winter (depending on how cold the weather gets) whether water is available or not. The group includes common Bermuda and hybrid

Bright blooms for sunny spots

Cosmos come from tropical areas of the Americas, mainly Mexico, and show off the bright, clear colors of that region. Blooms come in many forms, including single, double, crested, and frilled, and the plants fit eas

Leaves alone

You dont need flowers to form a lush, colorful planting. These pots contain only foliage plants, the palette of which has grown in recent years. Designing plantings like these couldnt be easier. Start with one showy

Susan Blevinss favorite color makers

The following flowers are annuals or tender perennials grown as annuals, unless noted.African daisy (Arctotis hybrids). Creamy apricot and yellow.Bachelors button (Centaurea cyanus). Blue. Self-sowing.California pop

Choice climbers for Western gardens

For mild-winter areas.Berries n Cream (below left): 10 to 12 feet; ruffled semidouble blossoms with swirls of rose pink and cream.Cl. Cécile Brunner: 20 feet or more; small, soft pink sweetheart buds.Cl. First Prize

Star performers

Wherever you garden, theres a daylily thats just right for you. Some daylilies perform well in all climates. The most notable example is Bitsy, a variety with lemon yellow flowers, that outblooms any other daylily y

Create a bouquet of hydrangeas

Step-by-step:  How to make a bridal bouquetIn lightly shaded beds, garden hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) combine well with ferns of all kinds. Their large, snowball-shaped flower clusters come in pink, blue, and greeni

Giant palm trees

These palms grow to more than 60 feet tall. Use them on large properties.Bismark palm  (Bismarckia nobilis). Very large, full crown with fan-shaped leaves, which are gray-blue, stiff textured. Its broad canopy needs

Rediscover ferns

Few plants are as at home in shaded gardens as ferns. Thriving in cool, moist locations from the Pacific Northwest to Northern California ― even in the Wests coldest climates, with some winter protection ― they brin

Winter savory (Satureja montana)

• Perennial• Zones 3-11, 14-24, 30-34, 39• Full sun• Little to moderate waterThis perennial herb is a mounding, 12- to 15-inch-tall plant with pungent, peppery-tasting dark green leaves (a close relative, summer sav

Shrub roses make surprisingly good partners for potted plants

Container designers are always on the hunt for new flower combinations to try. But they usually pass on roses, which can grow too large for pots and suffer from too much disease. Now, a spate of newer, tougher, smal

Instant winter white

Glistening snow blankets the landscape at some of the Wests higher elevations this month. Its a look we love around the holidays. White blooms or silvery foliage in white or nearly white containers also bring that f

Late clematis, sweet surprise

Not to be outdone by its spring- and summer-flowering brethren, one member of the clematis family waits patiently in the wings. And sweet autumn clematis is worth the wait, as billowy masses of fragrant blossoms cas

Purple passion

Every year, All-America Selections recognizes outstanding new plants that have performed well in trial gardens around the country. During Sunsets tests of the 2006 winners last summer in Menlo Park, California, two

Cheery gloriosa daisy

When many spring and summer bloomers are starting to fade, gloriosa daisy, also known as Rudbeckia hirta and black-eyed Susan, is just hitting its stride. With daisy-like blooms in harvest colors, it bridges the flo