Five Flowers That Work In Los Altos Hills

When I say “flowers that work” I mean work in the sense of do-not-fail and also work in the sense of accomplishing something useful. Some flowers drop dead here or get eaten by bugs and bunnies or fail to blossom. All of the flowers that survive accomplish something useful by attracting pollinators—insects that carry pollen from flower to flower, including the flowers on vegetable plants.

Any tree or plant that produces fruit or vegetables first puts out a blossom. Think of an apricot tree in bloom. Pollen needs to be carried from one blossom to another in order for the blossom to develop into a fruit or vegetable.  

The blossoms on vegetable plants can be nice, but insects might fail to find them unless they are attracted by more obvious flowers. Local organic gardening experts and recommend mixing your flowers and vegetables in the same beds, partly for looking good and partly to encourage pollination.

My favorite flowers are the ones that thrive here with very little help from me. Long ago I lost interest in annuals—I like flowers that stay alive (or re-seed themselves) year after year without my replanting them.

The top five flowers that work here are:

1. Alyssum. This little beauty stays alive and re-seeds itself. Start out with a few and you will get many.
2. California Golden Poppies. These annuals are the state flower because they thrive here. Scatter some seeds and they will reseed themselves for years to come. Only once in about ten years will you need to scatter more seed. Other kinds of poppies don’t work so well here, in my experience.
3. Roses. OK, roses like water, but they are so beautiful, can’t we have a few? I find the old-fashioned climber roses survive with minimal care better than new hybrids do.  There are many dangerous products for roses, but roses thrive organically, without those products.
4. Geraniums. Some geraniums might break your heart by dropping dead in a frost, but the older, non-hybrid varieties will stay alive through thick and thin.
5. Rosemary. You probably think of rosemary as a bush or an herb, but I am listing it here because my rosemary has beautiful little blue blossoms that the bees love. And rosemary thrives here with minimal water and care. It’s indestructible. My favorite is hanging/creeping rosemary.

May your garden bloom abundantly and attract the pollinizers.

About This Column: Each week Pam Walatka will explore sustainable life in Los Altos Hills. Contact Pam at pamwalatka@yahoo.com or see Pam Portugal Walakta Writings on FaceBook.