Flowers A-Z: S is for...

...Sea Pink (Thrift)

These are new to our yard this spring, and I love them!  I also love when I stumble across any plants that are featured in the Getty's Central Garden, and this is one of them.  The little green mounds send off tall pink flowers all spring.  The plant stays relatively small, about 1x1, and dies back after its growing season. Plus, the name is just too cute...sea pink!

...Snapdragons

Robby really likes snapdragons, a full sun annual which grows well here from fall to spring and even early summer.  He chops them down a few times during their growing season and they continue to make more blooms, producing a fuller "bush" than before.  He usually brings them inside for me to enjoy!

...Salvia, salvia, and more salvia!

Common sage

Dwarf salvia

Wendy's Wish

Hot Pink

I don't know how it happened, but somewhere along the way we have somehow accumulated at least eight different types of salvia, so these are just a few to show.  We also have a deep purple and pink/white salvia, as well as a salvia that shoots purple spikes and one more type of sage.  These plants are just awesome - beautiful, colorful, great scent, and pretty hardy.  Except for the herbs and the dwarf salvia (which was sold as an annual), all of ours returned after the frost and do just fine through the summer as long as they have plenty of water and drainage.  (Hardly anything in our clay soil gets drainage though, so these are tough little guys!)  Hopefully we have as much luck this year!

...Strawberry

I know nothing about strawberries except that I love them and wanted one in my yard.  I have picked a few berries, and though they are small, they are surprisingly sweet!  A spontaneous strawberry bush popped up elsewhere in the yard.  Not sure how that got in here, but it's welcome!