(Herald-of-summer, Lindley's Farewell-to-Spring, Lindley's Satin Flower)

A fast-growing annual wildflower, the Lindley's farewell-to-spring produces red-spotted, pinkish lavender flowers during summer. It may also be called Lindley's herald-of-summer. This subspecies is native to British Columbia's Vancouver Island southward to southern Oregon, mainly west of the Cascade Mountains.

This wildflower can be quite variable in mature height as well as if a plant freely branches. The stems carry lance-shaped gray-green leaves. Upright flower buds open to cup-shaped, flaring...

(Botta's Clarkia, Punch Bowl Godetia)

One of California's prettiest wildflowers, the punch bowl godetia produces cup-shaped lilac-pink flowers that look like tulips before they fully open. This adaptable annual is native to the mountains of Southern California where it is most commonly found in Monterrey County's forests. It can also be found in chaparral and coastal scrub habitats.

Punch bowl godetia is a wispy, tall annual with very fine foliage. The stems could be described as upright, but they are so fine they readily topple...

(Brewer's Clarkia, Fairy Fans)

This is one of California's best wildflowers for the garden! Not only does fairy fans produce a delightful floral fragrance, the blossoms are unique and lovely. This annual is endemic (native only) to central California. In its native habitat it can be found in chaparral lands, wooded foothills and coastal scrub. In the wild it is quite rare. Under ideal growing conditions, it forms a wispy dome of foliage, topped with flowers.

Plants sprout from seed either in autumn or early spring. The thin...

(Red Ribbons)

An otherwise wispy plant, red ribbons grabs your attention from mid-spring to midsummer with its delicate but colorful violet-pink, cross-shaped flowers. This drought tolerant annual wildflower is native to the dry woodlands in the foothills of northern California's Coastal Ranges. It's a worthwhile, dainty plant for dry, porous soils that are in partial shade.

The leaves are small, oval and light gray-green. Showy flowers arise in loose clusters on stem tips and side branch shoots in the warmth...

(Elegant Clarkia, Mountain Garland, Woodland Clarkia)

Upright reddish stems lined with rosy papery flowers are highlights of the elegant clarkia. This tall wildflower is endemic (native only) to California, existing in chaparral, grasslands and forest clearings. It is a fast-growing annual that naturally blooms from mid-spring to early summer when conditions are mild and cool. Garden grown specimens can be sown year-round as long as temperatures and mild and humidity low.

Elegant clarkia grows upright with reddish stems and sparse green to gray-green...

(Golden Rat Tail)

Among the easiest cacti to grow, the golden rat tail's yellowish spines are visually interesting, but when the salmon-orange and coral flowers appear, this cactus is a conversation-piece. It is a mountain-dwelling species found in the rocky, well-drained foothills of Uruguay and nearby Argentina. Because it exists at relatively high elevations it’s somewhat frost hardy, but must have very dry winter conditions.

This succulent cactus' coloring results from a dense cloak of tiny tan-gold hairs...

(Clematis, Luxurious White Clematis, Viticella Clematis)

Luxurious white clematis is a herbaceous vining plant with small white, open bell-shaped flowers tipped in green. They bloom from midsummer through the fall. Leaves are green with hints of a gray casting on this native of southern Europe and extreme western Asia.

Clematis prefers a location with at least five to six hours of sun and a fertile, well-drained soil. In early spring, prune each stem's growth down to a pair of strong buds above the soil level. It can be used to dress up a wall, trellis,...

(Alionushka Clematis, Clematis, Integrifolia Clematis)

This unique, floriferous clematis displays numerous rose-pink, nodding, bell-shaped flowers from late spring to frost. Developed in the Ukraine in 1969, ‘Alionushka’ resulted from a cross between the climbing hybrid ‘Nezhdannyi’ and the bushy species Clematis integrifolia. Its habit is intermediate between that of its parents, and it is at its best when planted among shrubs and perennials in the mixed border, where its tumbling stems can weave themselves among the other plants of the garden.

The...

(Allanah Clematis, Clematis, Late Large-flowered Clematis)

The large, vibrant, velvety wine-red flowers of ‘Allanah’ bloom in late spring and early summer. Each of its broad petals taper at the base giving the blooms a distinctive appearance. It is a vigorous grower with a somewhat compact habit at maturity.

This hybrid clematis is a hardy deciduous woody vine that climbs by twining stems. The vines are lined with green compound leaves that appear in spring. The large wine-red flowers appear from spring to summer and are followed by fluffy clusters...

(Amelia Clematis, Clematis)

The upright-growing, non-vining ‘Amelia’ produces 3-inch-wide (8 cm) flowers in late summer to early fall. The six-petaled blossoms are a pale pink-lavender and surround a bright yellow crown of stamens.

This hybrid clematis is a hardy deciduous woody vine that doesn't really climb and clasp in a traditional sense but grows upright. The stems are lined with green compound leaves that appear in spring. The large flowers appear from summer to fall and are followed by fluffy clusters of silvery...