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Home & Garden readers might also want to read Keep it Green, a gardening column by Michael Womack.

Saturday, August 11, 2001
Southern delicacies
These drought-lovin’ beauties like to show off in the heat - even if no one’s looking
By Leanne Libby
Caller-Times

George Gongora/Caller-Times

The American Beauty berry plant is native to Rockport. Its purple berries attract mockingbirds and other migrating songbirds.

Scorching temperatures don't have to bring a barren landscape to your yard. Choosing plants that thrive in hot weather can bring sunny blooms to light in even the hottest weather. Darlene Locke, county extension agent for the Texas Cooperative Extension in Rockport, gave us a tour of a handful of flowers that add a splash of beauty to simmering summer climates. She noted that all the plants are perennials, meaning there's no need to dig up the garden every year.
   Esparanza
   "I saw one of these blooming like crazy in our front yard just last night," Locke said.

George Gongora/Caller-Times

Butterfly Milkweed has bright orange flowers and grows one to two feet tall. When planted in full sun, this perennial attracts butterflies by the dozens.

   The esparanza is a multi-trunk shrub, which gardeners can also train to grow like a tree.
   "It has a brilliant, lemon-yellow, bell-shaped flower," Locke said. "It will have bees humming all around it."
   Blooming from summer into fall, the esparanza is not water-greedy, making it a good Xeriscape plant, Locke said. It is native to Hill County areas.
   Maintaining an esparanza is similar to caring for a crape myrtle, Locke said. Cut off seed pods as they develop to encourage new growth.
   Don Easter, salesperson at Turner's Gardenland, said a gallon pot of esparanza generally costs under $7, and is available any time of year.
   "They're also called 'yellow bells' and are in the Chihuahuan desert," he said. "In my opinion, anything that can survive there is a good one to have here."
   Anisacanthus
   "They are blooming profusely out here right now," Locke said. "They are also called flaming canthus."
   The plant's tubular orange flower is the main feeding plant for hummingbirds, Locke said. It spreads from seed and grows to a maximum height of 3 feet.
   "These are very drought tolerant and low-maintenance, but they do have a tendency to spread," Locke said. "So, you can share them with your neighbor."
   Daniel Galvan, a salesperson at Turner's Gardenland, said the anisacanthus retails for around $6 for a gallon, and is generally available in spring.
   Indigo spires salvia
   The indigo salvia can grow as large as 5 feet tall and 4 feet across if you let it, Locke said. Because of its size, she recommends planting it toward the back of the yard.
   It has dark green foliage that is lovely on its own, but the long-lasting blooms are what really sets it apart.
   "It is spiked with intense blue salvia flowers," Locke said. "They are a wonderful, deep, dark, rich blue. The ones here have been blooming since February. If you shear them back, they will keep putting out new flowers."
   Locke said cuttings of indigo salvia provide nice height and color in floral arrangements.
   Galvan said gallon pots of indigo salvia run about $6 to $7, although those who like to garden on the cheap can get a 4-inch pot for less than $2. This plant is available spring through fall, but is especially prevalent in spring months.
   Hummingbird bush
   There are a variety of plants with "hummingbird" in their name, Locke said, so be sure to look for the scientific name, "hamelia patens."While all the plants listed here are hearty enough for South Texas weather, Locke said the hummingbird bush is particularly well-suited.
   "This one likes it hot," she said. "The hotter it gets and the more sun, the better it does."
   The brilliant red, tubular flowers provide nectar for the fall migrating hummingbirds, Locke said. The bush can grow up to 6 feet tall, so it should be trimmed back every winter.
   Easter said this bush, also called the "fire bush," is sold year-around, generally for less than $7 for a gallon pot.
   Lantana
   Yes, a weed can be one of your favorite summer flowers.
   Locke said the lantana comes in a variety of colors, including purple, white and combinations of red and yellow or pink and yellow.
   The lovely lantana attracts butterflies, but it also attracts an unwanted creature, the lace bug. They can be chased off without having to resort to pesticide, however.
   "Just trim the lantana back, and this sucking insect will move somewhere else," Locke said.
   "The lantana is very durable and quite hearty once it's established," Easter said. He said it is sold for about $6 for a gallon pot, but is also available in larger sizes.
   Butterfly bush
   Like the humming bird bush, you'll want to check for "asclepias curassarica" to make sure you are getting the plant you want.
   "The butterfly bush definitely likes the sun," Locke said.
   If you like monarch butterflies and want to attract more to your yard, this tropical flowering milkweed with red and yellow blooms is the way to go.
   "This is the larval host," Locke said. "The larvae comes out and feeds on the foliage. Then it puts it chrysalis out and completes the cycle."
   This is not a project for the faint-hearted gardener, Locke said. Hungry caterpillars may munch the plant clean, but the leaves will grow back.
   Easter said the butterfly bush, or "butterfly weed," as this species is also known, generally costs less than $6 for a gallon pot.


Contact Leanne Libby at 886-3615 , or libbyl@caller.com

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