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Strong and Stunning Plants for Texans

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Strong and Stunning Plants for Texans SuperstarTEXAS ® Strong and Stunning Plants for Texans TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER SID MILLER ® It isn’t easy to become a Texas Superstar® plant. Only the toughest, most reliable and best-looking plants make the cut. Every plant earning the Texas Superstar® designation undergoes several years of extensive field trials by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, both part of the Texas A&M System. They must show superior performance under Texas’ tough growing conditions. During the field trials, plants receive minimal soil preparation, reasonable levels of water and no pesticides. What it takes to be a Superstar® What does this mean to the average homeowner? It means you will find landscape success with beautiful, proven, Texas-tough plants. Find these GO TEXAN plants at your local nursery and be sure to look GO TEXAN is the Texas for the Texas Superstar® logo on the plant tags. Department of Agriculture’s program promoting the Visit TexasSuperstar.com for additional details. products, culture and communities that call Texas The term “Texas Superstar” is a registered trademark of Texas A&M home. As a mark of Lone AgriLife Research, Texas A&M System. Star pride, the GO TEXAN logo–a glowing brand in the shape of Texas–can be found on everything from floral products and grapefruits to cowboy boots and retirement destinations. For more information, visit GoTexan.org. Angelonia, before the summer heat. If Exposure: full sun Summer Snapdragon planting in mid-summer, a Height: 12–24 inches Angelonia angustifolia shady location is advised. Plant type: annual Serena series Soil type: A well-prepared Planting time: fall bed with organic matter and Soil type: well-drained soil good drainage is best, but this Suggested uses: flower beds, Angelonia is a spreading plant is tolerant of many soil meadows and hillsides annual with upright flower types. Should be kept moist spikes that resemble minature but not too wet. Moderately Special notes: The Texas snapdragons. The Serena drought tolerant. bluebonnet, which blooms series are the only angelonias Suggested uses: excellent for between March and May, has Summer Snapdragon that are grown from seed. mass bedding, in mixed borders a blue flowering stalk that is Flower colors available include and containers. tipped with white, just like white, pink, purple, lavender Special notes: Be careful a bunny’s tail. These hearty and lavender pink. They flower plants rarely suffer from not to overwater, especially insect and disease problems, all season long until frost. if growing in containers Angelonia can be used as however a well-balanced a border planting, a ground fertilizer applied in the fall will cover or as a trailing plant for “Baby’s Breath” help with flower production. mixed containers. Euphorbias Euphorbia hypericifolia Exposure: full sun (syn. Chamaesyce hypericifolia) Texas Maroon Height: 12–18 inches Bluebonnet Plant type: annual Lupinus texensis Planting time: spring These Euphorbias are very ‘ Texas Maroon’ Soil type: most soil types, finely textured, rambling (syn. ‘Alamo Fire’) Whopper Begonias as long as well drained annuals that present the appearance of a cloud of Suggested uses: mass bedding white in the landscape. Very A selection of the Texas or ground cover, mixed borders well-suited for the hot Texas state flower is a hardy and containers summers, these unusual plants winter annual native to Special notes: Very reliable perform best as edging, ground Texas. Flowers are densely performer in all areas of Texas; cover and mixed container plants. arranged on a spike with tolerates heat well. Several varieties performed a characteristic ice white ® well in the Texas Superstar terminal tip. trials, including “White Manaus,” Whopper Begonias Exposure: full sun Begonia x semperflorens- “Breathless White,” “Silver Fog” cultorum Whopper® Series and “Hip Hop.” Height: 12–14 inches Exposure: full sun Plant type: annual Height: 12–18 inches Planting time: fall Superstar Wax begonias have long been Soil type: well-drained soil “Baby’s Breath” Euphorbias Plant type: annual a staple of Texas landscapes. Planting time: spring Suggested uses: bedding, This recently introduced series window boxes, patio containers distinguishes itself with large Suggested uses: edging, ground cover and mixed and hanging baskets leaves on large plants that Special notes: Texas maroon have enormous flowers. They container plants bluebonnets have a spreading are outstanding in shade and Special notes: Very useful growth habit and reddish- partial shade, and will tolerate for blending other flowering full sun except in extreme heat. plants together in either mixed maroon flowers with a Both green and bronze foliage borders or mixed container characteristic white terminal types are available with red plantings. Flowers heavily tip. It is recommended they or rose flowers. “Everything is through the summer until frost. are spaced 12 inches apart bigger in Texas” and Whopper when transplanting or seeding. begonias fit the bill! Texas Bluebonnet annuals Exposure: partial to full shade; Lupinus texensis does well in morning sun and Bluebonnet will tolerate full sun, except in extreme heat, especially with The Texas state flower is a low relative humidity. hardy winter annual native to Height: in shade can reach Texas. This species is the most 24–30 inches with a 12–16 inch commonly seen variety along spread. Will be shorter and roadsides and in pastures more compact with more sun. throughout the state. Flowers Plant type: annual are densely arranged on a Planting time: best in spring spike with a characteristic just after frost but can be ice white terminal tip. planted later. Will be more heat and sun tolerant if allowed to establish well Maroon Bluebonnet Lady Bird Johnson Royal heat but may behave as Suggested use: mass plantings, Blue Bluebonnet perennials in western Texas. combination plantings with other Lupinus texensis For a tight mounding plant of summer annuals such as salvia bluish green foliage, select and Mexican mint marigold, and the ‘Tiny Tim’ variety. For also make nice cut flowers for A selection of the Texas state variegated foliage, try ‘Ascot beautifying the indoors flower with a distinct royal Rainbow.’ For more of a red (cobalt) blue color was named or dark maroon color, try Dakota Gold Helenium in honor of former first lady, ‘Blackbird.’ ‘Rudolph’ has Helenium amarum ‘Dakota Gold’ Lady Bird Johnson; flowers dark green foliage with red Lady Bird Johnson Bluebonnet are densely arranged on a accents. ‘Tasmanian Tiger’ or spike with a characteristic ‘Glacier Blue’ is notable for Helenium is a native Texas ice white terminal tip. excellent cream and green wildflower that now has variegated foliage. Exposure: full sun for improved cultivars for garden optimum bloom Exposure: full sun to use. Once established, Plants Height: 12–14 inches partial shade are Texas tough, continuing to grow and flower with little or Plant type: annual Height: 1–2 feet Plant type: cool season annual no irrigation. Young plants are Planting time: sow scarified small flattened rosettes of foliage seed in the fall; if one misses Planting time: late summer and fall in the spring (or even late winter the planting window, transplants in southern locations) that Soil type: best in potting soil can be set out in late winter develop strong tap roots. By in containers but will perform Soil type: numerous, but must mid-to-late spring, a canopy of in ground beds, if soil is very be well-drained thready dark green foliage well-drained Cool Season Euphorbias Suggested uses: accent beds, develops and 1 inch diameter meadows and hillsides, as Suggested uses: best used in bright yellow composite flowers well as containers mixed containers, but also in begin to appear. Flowering Special notes: The distinct well-drained landscape beds continues through autumn. The cobalt color sets this blue- or rock gardens ‘Dakota Gold’ cultivar typically bonnet apart from the Texas Special Notes: These plants grows as low cushions of Bluebonnet. It is a vigorous are very pest and disease foliage topped with bright plant and will do best if spaced resistant. They are hardy to yellow flowers. Plants can be 12 inches apart. It tends to zone 6 and hardy in containers, grown on most any well- produce more seed than other unless the temperature drops drained soil with a sunny bluebonnets, so it should below 15° F. The most heat exposure. Good for low input easily naturalize in an area tolerant varieties are ‘Ascot landscapes where irrigation given proper care. Rainbow’ and ‘Tiny Tim.’ water is limited. Globe Amaranth Exposure: full sun Globe Amaranth Cool Season Euphorbias Height: 6–8 inches Euphorbia martinii, Gomphrena globosa Plant type: reseeding annual E. characias subsp. wulfenii, E. amygdaloides Planting time: anytime Globe amaranth (known by from containers USDA Zone 6 some as bachelor’s buttons) Soil type: well-drained slightly These cold and drought- are versatile, often overlooked, acidic soil is best, but it adapts tolerant winter annuals summer annuals that thrive in to alkaline clay soils as long as provide mounds of color in the the Texas heat. Varieties range drainage is adequate landscape from fall to spring. in size from 8 to 48 inches, and Suggested uses: accent, border They are not fond of summer vary in color from whites to annuals pinks to lavenders to dark, rich Larkspur purples. The All Around, Las Consolida ambigua Vegas, QIS and Audray series, and Fireworks varieties are USDA Zone 7 Dakota Gold Helenium good performers. This reseeding annual has a backward-projecting spur, Exposure: full sun formed by the upper petal of Height: 1–4 feet and about the flower. The long spikes or as wide, depending on variety panicles of flowers come in Plant type: heat-loving, both single and double forms. summer annual Colors range from various Planting time: early summer shades of blue or purple-blue after nights become warm to pink and white.
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