Broom is the name of a group of attractive shrubs.Yellow broom flower is the most common, however more than 100 species grow in Europe, Asia, and Africa.It was intentionally introduced to B.C. in 1850 by Captain Walter Grant who planted broom at his farm on Vancouver Island. Regrettably, few realized the evasiveness of this perennial as it quickly spread up the east coast of Vancouver Island before invading the Gulf Islands and mainland.  Some types of broom plants are used to make dyes. The Scotch broom, a native of Europe, is grown in the United States. Many of its green branches are leafless or almost without leaves. The showy, yellow flowers are shaped like butterflies. The fruit is a pod with one or more seeds in it. The English royal house of Plantagenet received its name from the Latin term Planta genista, which means sprig of the broom plant See also Legume.

Cytisus scoparius is a deciduous, perennial shrub that grows up to 3m tall. It begins to reproduce when it is approximately three years old and usually lives from 10-15 years. After flowering, it forms black seed pods, carrying an average of 5-9 seeds that disperse after the pods audibly 'pop' open! Scotch broom is known as a 'prolific seed producer' with up to 18,000 seeds per plant which spread by wind, small animals, water and humans. These seeds are protected with a seed coat that can delay germinating for over 30 years. As mentioned, it has yellow flowers (sometimes white or red) that attract large bees to deliver its pollen. Scotch broom is adapted to tolerate drought conditions with its deep taproot, reduced leaf area, photosynthetically active stems, and a thick wax coating to prevent water loss. It prefers open sites because it is generally shade intolerant, thriving in dry to very dry soils. This plant also tends to acidify surrounding soil, preventing other species from establishing.

Chocolate Scented Daisy Berlandiera lyrata is most impressive and most fragrant when planted in groups.A night bloomer, the flowers offer up their rich cocoa scent in the morning. As the temperature rises the petals close or drop and the fragrance recedes. It dies back to the ground in winter and returns with a larger crown each spring, ultimately reaching about two feet across and about 18 inches high.Like many ray flowers, Chocolate Daisy is an important beneficial insect attractor.

How to Grow Daisy Chocolate Scented Daisy
60- 85 Days to Flower A small plant with an airy habit, Chocolate Scented Daisy (sometimes called Chocolate Flower) makes a nice, informal edging plant, and is most impressive and most fragrant when planted in groups. Although native to the Southwest, it has shown itself to be adaptable to a wide spectrum of conditions. It dies back to the ground in winter and returns with a larger crown each spring, ultimately reaching about two feet across and about 18 inches high. A night bloomer, the flowers offer up their Cocoa scent in the morning and drop their colorful petals each day as the temperature rises. Like many ray flowers, Chocolate Daisy is an important beneficial insect attractor. Diversity is important when trying to attract these helpful insects. Planting many different kinds of flowers provides for the varied tastes of this diverse population. SOW INDOORS 8-10 weeks before the last frost. Cover seed ¼" with soil. Germination is 10-12 days at 68-70ºF. TRANSPLANT outdoors after danger of frost, 8-12" apart. GARDEN HINTS: Daisy's need full sun. Provide ample moisture in the heat of the summer.

When to Sow Outside: Spring after average last day of frost. Soil should be warm.
When to Sow Inside: not recommended
Seed Spacing: 1" to 2"
Days to Emerge: 5 - 10
Thinning: 15" to 18" apart

Freesias are very popular garden plants, grown for their often strongly scented flowers.The most commonly cultivated species is Freesia Refracta.Freesias are a fragrant spring flowering bulb with white, cream yellow, blue, orange or red flowers.
Freesias are easy to grow in a cool to temperate climate and will quickly form a clump in the garden. Freesias can be grown it pots or indoors if required. A sunny position and a humus rich moist but well drined soil is ideal for growing freesia bulbs. Freesias do not like frost.
Freesias are technically a perennial. The problem is that in order to get them to bloom again, the corms of the plant must be kept in very specific conditions. These conditions are that first it must be stored for 3-4 months at 85F and with a humidity of 80%. After this, the corms are planted and put through several weeks of gradually lower temperatures after which the temperature is then raised again.

Flowering Magnolia figo 'Purple Queen'.

Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. To avoid damage from pollinating beetles, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are extremely tough. Fossilised specimens of Magnolia acuminata have been found dating to 20 million years ago, and of plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae dating to 95 million years ago.Another primitive aspect of Magnolias is their lack of distinct sepals or petals: Magnolias possess undifferentiated flower parts for which the term "tepals" was coined.