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Thursday, June 5, 2008

TOUGH PLANTS FOR TEXAS

With temperatures in the high 90s and no rain for weeks you need to be tough to survive in Texas. Here are a few plants that do well in my garden. They are all good re seeders, especially if there is gravel.



Echinacea"white swan" loves this spot in the gravel.

The less common form of skull cap is the native Scutellaria wrightii.

Coreopsis tinctoria, which can be seen growing along the roadsides may grow to 3 feet if given plenty of water. Keep it low by planting in dry rocky areas.


Beware of this little beauty, the pink evening primrose.


A trio of self seeders between the pavers in the vegetable garden.




The narrow leaf zinnia Zinnia augustifolia. My summer garden would not be the same without it.

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the pics of your toughest plants. I always use the narrowleaf zinnia in summer too---it just gets better and better as summer dishes out its worst. This year, however, I went with native Blackfoot daisy instead, just to compare. It looks nearly identical to the white narrowleaf zinnia.

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  2. I have the Blackfoot daisy too but although it was good in the spring it really suffered whilst I was away so I have cut it back. It is starting to recover some and I hope it will look good in the fall. The zinnias fill in the in between times. I love the Bfd but when it gets woody it has to be pulled out. It re seeds in the gravel quite well.
    Jenny

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  3. Lovely shot of the flowers among the pavers. Don't the pavers hold a lot of the sun's heat? I've been surprised at just how much heat is radiating off the concrete block wall of our "folly".

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  4. I found scutellaria galericulata by the Thames this summer. There was only one patch along our three lock stretch. I have to confess I picked a minute one inch sprig to take it home and identify it. Don't tell anyone.

    Strange to think that similar wild flowers occur in such different places so far apart.

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  5. I thought you might be trying to root it for your own garden! We are on solid limestone but I think London is on clay- maybe it is caliche clay like ours.

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