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This is rapidly becoming my most favorite plant in the garden. Attributes that I love:

Long blooming
No supplemental water needed after second season (it will share its resentment of being watered too much by flopping over)
Hummingbirds flock to this plant favoring it over feeders
Will take the brunt of the hot summer sun

I wanted to share how I grow these. I created several penstemon beds where the medium is a gravely red breeze. That's it. No soil mixes, no nutrients, nothing. I kept them well watered the first two seasons and now they thrive without any help from me. The more you ignore them, the more they like it seems.

I tend to leave the seed heads in place. If you do that, you will be rewarded by many more plants. Oh! And, I have found that they truly are not picky about where they grow. I have a large specimen that started as a volunteer growing in a mass of river pebbles. The only water it has ever received is what falls out of the sky.

I truly feel that penstemons belong in all gardens.

I have dubbed this the best houseplant to have. It can take all sorts of abuse and still thrive. If you underwater it, it droops a bit but hangs on. If you overwater it, I think it actually loves that because I can never seem to add enough water to my specimens. They drink it up quite happily. As far as propagation, all you need to do is pinch off a little stem, remove the bottom leaves, and stick it in continually moist soil (self watering African violet pots do the trick nicely). After a week, it grows new leaves and after a couple weeks, those infamous purplish-blue flowers appear. After a couple of months, you have a vigorous small plant ready for a new pot. It really is that easy. I have never seen a plant quite like this. Last summer, I inadvertently set one out in full sun and because it was out of view, it received no water. The leaves were gone, the stems were wilted, and I thought it was a goner. I took it in, cut it down to the dirt, kept the soil consistently wet, and it came back to life as if nothing had ever happened to it. If you do not have one, get yourself one. You will be glad you did. :)

Although I do not live in Arizona anymore, I was very lucky to be visiting when the bluebells at Rillito Nursery were blooming. If you live in the Arizona area, treat yourself by visiting the nursery. The bluebells have naturalized in the gravel area near the cactus and each year there are more and more to behold.

From childhood to today, I always wear my little plastic poppy on Memorial Day. Since becoming a gardener, I make it a point to always grow this poppy. They are magical and a sheer delight as they sway in the breeze. As many have already said, this is a must have in every garden.

I heard about this plant when I was researching heirloom flowers for the garden. I was pushing the zone requirements when growing this in Arizona but now that I am in Colorado, I think I will have much better luck. I love its common name. :)

I chose this plant before it had any new leaves from my local nursery. I based my decision to purchase it solely on the description and photo of what the bloom would look like. It is not time for roses to bloom yet, but I have to say I am very excited to see this blooming in my garden!

Each time I meander down the perennial walk, I find myself taking a photo of this beautiful flower. This is one plant I will be planting this year in my garden. This member of the rose family looks amazing flanked by taller perennials on the side and smaller perennials in the front and perhaps a few bulbs for added flavor.

It is always fun to purchase plants from a botanic garden. I found this tucked away in the back of a group of perennials. I fell in love with it instantly. Salvias are among my favorite flowers and this hybrid specimen is exquisite. It is thriving in an area that gets all day filtered light with a bit of direct light in the morning. It has made itself at home with my raspberries and clover keeping it company.

I realize how most people feel about this plant but I made it a point to take my time and capture this macro image of what I think is a very beautiful flower. The dandelion is an amazing plant and it actually saddens me that it is the poster child of weeds that must be destroyed by the various herbicide manufacturers. Incorporating the leaves into your salad can provide you with a great source of dietary fiber, vitamin B-6, Riboflavin, vitamin C, A and K, iron and calcium. I hope you like this photo as much as I enjoyed taking it.

I personally grow dandelions on purpose as a part of my leafy vegetable garden and though the leaves have a slightly bitter taste, they are wonderful mixed in with chard, arugula, and baby spinach with perhaps a raspberry vinaigrette poured over the top. Enjoy!

I purchased these bulbs from High Country Gardens. They emerged when the weather warmed in March. This year in the Denver, Colorado area we had many hard freezes during what should have been milder spring weather. I was worried about these plants but thankfully they made it through. The leaves got a bit of brown around the edges but nothing severe. When the spring snow and cold came, these plants became buried in snow. Perhaps that is what saved them.