TOP TEN PLANTS FOR A DESERT ISLAND Page 1 of 1 American Beautyberry Purple Trailing Lantana Callicarpa americana Lantana montevidensis 'Purple' from article in Rockport Pilot by from Dr. Michael Womack: This Ernie Edmundson: Early spring is tough plant not only blossoms most the time to cut them down before of the year, but it is also drought and they put on their new spring growth. sun hardy. The most effective use They can be trimmed back almost to of these plants is often mass the ground, however unpruned plantings in sunny areas with well- plants will develop a weeping effect drained soils. [The smaller the leaf, . . . with purple, or in some cases, the smaller the plant will be]. The white berries in the fall. shortest varieties of lantana commonly are called trailing lantana.

Bougainvillea Madagascar Periwinkle Bougainvillea sp. Catharanthus roseus Hummingbirds are attracted to from www.wikipedia.com: It is noted bougainvillea but cannot use it for for its long flowering period, an energy source. Be careful throughout the year in tropical around play areas because of the conditions, and from spring to late thorns. Great vine for large autumn in warm temperate climates. containers to decorate hot patios Tolerates wind, bushy, thrives in and plazas. It can be trained as a humid heat. The alkaloids shrub or clipped into shapes. vincristine and vinblastine from its sap have been shown to be an effective treatment for leukaemia.

Esperanza Turk's Cap Drummondii Tecoma stans Malvaviscus arboreus 'Drummondii' LARVAL HOST for: Plebeian Primary food source for migrating sphinx moth (Paratrea plebeja). hummingbirds. Flowers on native from www.floridata.com: Var. stans form stick up; on the larger tropical is a Central American tree that variety they hang down. From grows to 25 ft. Arizona yellow bells article in the Rockport Pilot by Ernie (var. angustata) is a 10 ft deciduous Edmundson: Turk's Cap is found shrub. Gold Star Esperanza grows growing along the fringes of live to 3-4 ft. Perfect for the South oaks as well as in the low lying Texas Gulf Coast. areas adjacent to the bays.

Greenthread Desert Willow 'Bubba' Thelesperma filifolium Chilopsis linearis var. Bubba LARVAL HOST for: Dainty Sulphur from http://tree-land.com: The (Nathalis iole) butterfly. Native to Desert Willow 'Bubba' has become the prairies of Central & Western one of the most popular Chilopsis Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, & linearis cultivars because of it's Mexico, striking when planted in beautiful and fragrant trumpet mass. From uvalde.tamu.edu: shaped pink-burgundy flowers. This Greenthread blooms between cultivar of Desert Willow is also March and June and often into the popular because it does not typically fall. produce seed pods.

Indian Blanket Red Yucca Gaillardia pulchella Hesperaloe parviflora from www.floridata.com: Gaillardias from wildflower.org: Not a yucca, make sturdy and colorful additions this member of the Century-Plant to borders and beds. Low-growing family produces soft, yucca-like, selections can be used for evergreen leaves, 2-3 ft. in length. groundcover and in containers. The flower stalk rises 5 ft. and bears They are salt tolerant and an showy, coral-colored, tubular attractive low maintenance choice flowers occur on arching, wand-like, for seaside plantings. Great for pink stems. Leaves are plum- sunny container plantings. colored in winter; blue-green other times.