| Hi there. I am looking for a perenial...something that will look somewhat decent all year....green or flowered...that I can plant in a bed around my mailbox. It is a fairly large bed and I want something that will come back year after year. It is very sunny in this spot, so I have trouble finding something nice that will survive heat and sun. I really would like it to come back every year so I dont have to keep wasting money! HELP! |
| I like the way you think! Here are some hardy, sun loving perennials from which to choose: Flame Acanthus (Anisacanthus wrightii) Color: Red Orange Blooms: Summer to Fall Light: Sun/PartShade Height: 3'-4' Soil: Well Drained. Upright shrubby perennial with shiny green leaves, blooms reddish orange tubular flowers in summer. Hummingbirds love this plant. Very tough and drought tolerant. Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) Color: Mixed Blooms: Spring to Fall Light: Sun/PartShade Height: 36" Soil: Well Drained. Red , Pink, Coral, Purple, Yellow, and White flowers bloom all spring and fall. Needs good drainage. Evergreen. Blackeyed Susan 'Goldsturm' (Rudbeckia fulgida) Color: Gold Blooms: Summer Light: Sun/PartShade Height: 24"-36" Soil: Well Drained. This selected, compact strain of a native Texas perennial is fast becoming a favorite. Blooms mid to late summer with masses of golden yellow black-eyed daises. Sun loving and drought resistant. Hardy. Coneflower 'White Swan' or 'Magnus' (Echinacea purpurea) Color: White or Purple Blooms: Summer. Grow in fertile, humus-rich, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil in full sun or partial shade. It needs excellent drainage, but doesn't tolerate dry soil. Resents transplanting. Keep pruning to a minimum. Gaura Lindheimer's (Gaura lindheimeri) Color: White Blooms: Summer Light: Sun Height: 3'-4' Soil: Well Drained. Delicate white and pink flowers that look like Butterflies. This perennial will bloom throughout summer and fall. Great for that English garden or wildflower meadow. Lantana, Hardy (Lantana camara) Color: Yellow & Pink Blooms: Summer to Fall Light: Sun/PartShade Height: 3'-6' Soil: Poor Drainage. This is the old fashioned hardy Lantana found in many country gardens. Covered all summer and fall with bright orange, pink and yellow flowers. Butterflies love this one! Easy to grow. Ruellia 'Katie's Dwarf? (Ruellia brittoniana )Color: Purple Blooms: Summer Light: Sun/PartShade Height: 8" Soil: Moist Well Drained. Durable perennial that blooms purple flowers all summer. Low growing , makes great edger plant. Re-seeds and can be divided after first frost. Tolerates wet poor drained clay soil. Mulch in winter. Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus drummondii) Color: Red Blooms: Summer-Fall Light: Sun/PartShade Height: 2'-4' Soil: Well Drained. Bright green foliage great for lighting up shady areas. Blooms red hearts May to November. Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Will take any soil and any light. Phlox Thrift (Phlox sublata) Color: Pink Blooms: Spring Light: Sun Height: 4? Soil: Well Drained. Hardiest and most dependable of the creeping phlox varieties, this is the old fashion light pink variety. Evergreen mat of spiny foliage. Great in rockeries, fronts of borders, as a sunny ground cover. Aster, Hardy Blue (Aster oblongifolius) Color: Blue Blooms: Fall Light: Sun Height: 36?-48? Soil: Well Drained. This Aster has been growing in the Dallas area for many years. Lovely blue flowers will grow two to four feet high. Blooms late summer and fall. Dianthus ?Firewitch? (Dianthus x hybrida) Color: Pink Blooms: Spring/Fall Light: Sun Height: 6? Soil: Moist Well Drainage. Fragrant pink flowers covering silvery blue foliage in spring, early summer and again in fall. Low, mat forming habit. Great for pots, flower borders, hanging over walls, or the rock garden. Pick off spent flowers. Hope these suggestions inspire you! |
