spring planting

I braved the hot Texas sun in the afternoon to scurry over to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  I figured since we are members I may as well take advantage of the Member’s Only native plant sale going on today.  I’m a sucker for a sale even if it’s just 10% off!

I want to see if the native flowers will be happier in my back yard than the poor petunias and impatiens that suffer horribly in the mid summer heat.  Even though those pretty little annuals are described as liking “full sun” they sure can’t mean the TEXAS sun. 

So I happily bought some Texas flowers today with names like Mealy Blue Sage, Blackfoot Daisy, Lance Leaf Coreopsis, Red Autumn Sage, Tahoka Daisy, Drummond Phlox, Square Bud Primrose and Purple Coneflower.  Hopefully they’ll like my yard and decide to stick around year after year.

I bought a young plant that I’ve wanted for over a year... ever since I saw how pretty it looked in the Fall.  It’s called American Beautyberry and will grow to be the size of a shrub or small tree.

I like the thought of planting these Texas native flowers.  I like that they are hardy and strong.  I think if THEY can handle the summer heat maybe I’ll be able to also!  I’ll be rooting for them… cheering them on!  I like that some of them can grow on cliffs and rocky soil. 

I’m still going to plant my basil  because we use the basil leaves all summer long to make pesto and other yummy recipes.  I’ll see if lavender grows well here too. Even their leaves smell wonderful!

On the other hand, if my planting doesn’t pay off and my little Texas flowers don’t make it, next year I’ll skip all the work and just make a financial contribution to the Wildflower Center!