In the Garden ~ Gardening in the Texas Heat

Summer is rapidly approaching and you want to make a garden that your neighbors will be envious of and that is low maintenance.  Which can mean many different things in Texas but the main one is going to be something that can survive the Texas heat!  We all know how hot it can get in Texas, with very little to no rain, during those late summer months.  Here are our top five suggestions to keep your garden in color, and not break the bank on watering.

One of our favorite plants is Lantana.  We happen to have five planted right in front of the breakfast room window, which is perfect for early morning bird watching during the season.  Hummingbirds, butterflies and all sorts of pollinators love this bunch of flowers, and can be seen gathering pollen from the plants, once flowers start to bloom until the first freeze.  Our secret, we do not water these beauties at all.  They keep growing and supplying lovely color, from April until about December, when we cut them back to rest until next year.  Nature keeps our lantana in water when it rains, and they seem to be thriving.

Second on our list is Salvia.  We typically have the blue variety planted in our garden and this year we added a red and dark purple.  This native plant thrives in the Texas heat and can grow to be fairly substantial if given the space to spread it’s foliage.  The beautiful blooms give color the whole season, and come back year after year.  Of course it attracts pollinators of all kinds.  The bees really love the flowers and return every year.

Third, is the Red Yucca.  While we just added our first one to our garden this year. This popular plant can be seen along road sides, in multiple businesses around town and even along the freeway in larger cities.  Native to West Texas, the Red Yucca thrives in rocky soil and tends to be a little drier.   If you are trying to get away from having a yard full of grass and want to add a little xeriscaping, this should be your top pick.

Fourth, is Texas Sage.  The silvery foliage gives color and interest all year round and has a profusion of purple blooms during the rainy season.  Be sure to have enough space for this beauty to spread out, it can grow up to 6 feet if that is your desire.  A great benefit besides being good for those hot Texas summer days, if you have deer, this plant is deer resistant.  Add them along the edge of your beds to form a wall of sorts to protect your garden while adding interest and color throughout the year.

Fifth but definitely not the end, Rudbeckia, loves the sun and Texas heat.  You can find these flowers blooming in hay fields, along roadsides, and in many gardens.  The seeds spread with the wind, so if you only want them in certain locations be sure to move them early before blooming.  If you like a little chaos in your garden then let the seeds fall where they may and see just how far mother nature's hand will go.   These lovely yellow flowers add great color to any garden and of course the pollinators love them.  Be sure to add some to your garden for added color and interest.

While these are some of our favorite plants and flowers to have on hand to combat the Texas heat, there are many more you can find that you might enjoy more.  After all your garden is what you make of it and can be as full or as sporadic as  you like.  We prefer to have our’s be a little chaotic and colorful, with the least amount of maintenance possible.  Stop by anytime to explore our garden or ask questions to discover how easy it is to grow heat and sun tolerant plants. 

In the Garden ~ Sunflowers

 

 

               If you have recently driven by The Oaks Bed and Breakfast, and caught sight of our garden, you will easily be able to see that we love flowers.  All kinds of flowers are in bloom right now and we cannot seem to get enough.  Today for “In the Garden” I wanted to focus on the Sunflowers.  Now I’m the first to admit that when we planted these beauties the first year I thought they were going to be these beautiful, three foot tall or so  flowers that we could use to do cut flower arrangements for the rooms.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would grow to be what they are today. 

 

               I’m sure a lot of their height and proliferation is due to cross pollination.  After all the pollinating insects love our flowers.  You can find bees, butterflies and other winged insects flying around the garden finding all the best places to gather up pollen and spread that goodness around.  Our sunflowers have taken on a life of their own and I can only hope that they continue to do amazing as the years progress.

 

               This year I was a little more intentional with my flowers, believe it or not, and actually planted some new varieties.  Alas, I only see one new variety growing this year, and I partially think that is due to a huge rain that happened right after planting.  I think the water washed the beds out a little too much and then the birds swooped in to claim the uncovered seeds.

 

               Needless to say, the majority of our blooms are return plants from self-seeding.  We still have a few varieties that growing, I just wish from previous years, I had labeled them a little better when saving seeds from the heads.   This year, I will be much more intentional with my system for seed saving so that I can produce a larger variety of blooms for guests and neighbors to enjoy. 

 

               Sunflowers have a short growing season each year, right at about 2-3 months.  As you watch them grow you can see how the heads follow the sun throughout the day.  Nature is truly amazing to watch and experience at how it adapts and changes as time progresses.  So much so, that once the heads are fully developed they will face down and east permanently to protect the seeds from solar radiation. 

 

               Since their growing season is so quick you can direct sow seeds every few weeks to ensure you have flowers all season long and into the fall.  Many people who have pastures can plant sunflowers to attract wildlife such as dove, to prepare for hunting season later in the year.  Sun flowers provide food for wildlife and pollinators alike throughout the dryer summer months, and can help support your actual garden that you use for food.

 

               You can grow a variety of sunflowers in your garden depending on what you are looking to support.  Cut flowers have been engineered to not leave any messy pollen behind and come in a variety of colors.  The size of the heads vary from 3 inches to 12 inches depending on the type of flower.  One of the best things about growing sunflowers is their ability to return macronutrients to the soil. 

               Some of the varieties that we have are Honey Bear sunflowers, that have more petals in the center than traditional sunflowers.  Three of our traditional sunflowers are Chocolate Gold, Little Becka, and Strawberry Blond among others.  Our smallest producing flower is the Mexican Sunflower, that blooms out a beautiful reddish orange bloom.  These are prolific and I secretly want to spread them along the roadside of county roads to help increase the pollinator population.

 

               If you have never tried to grow sunflowers before, just toss some seeds out or get a bird feeder along with feed that has black oil sunflowers in the mix.  Move it around your yard and see what pops up.  You will not be disappointed in your sunflower production.