My garden is doing pretty good despite the intense heat and major lack of rain. I believe that it is doing so well because I planted wildflowers that are all historically found in this region of Texas. I have watered them minimally just so they will bloom but even if left them unwatered they would survive and some would still thrive like the Gaillardia. So here are some of the recent bloomers:
Spiderwort - Tradescantia ohiensis ...the flower blooms in the morning and closes up by the heat of mid-day. This one in the photo is nodding which is nice though they do face up and in all other directions. The plants I bought were small and I watered them weekly until they became established.
Sanguine Coneflower - Echinacea sanguinea , this is the first time I've grown this plant. It didn't get as tall as I thought it would be (only reached about a foot) but that might be because of the lack of water. It is pretty rare in cultivation and I only have one plant. Hopefully it will have lots of seed and I can propagate some more. It is a common wildflower in the piney woods of east Texas.
Turks Cap - Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii - This short shrub is growing in the shade of a Live Oak with Scarlet Sage - Salvia coccinea. It doesn't seem to need any care at all and blooms nicely during the intense heat.
Indian Blanket - Gaillardia pulchella , this has been the most rewarding flower that I have planted. It thrives no matter where I plant it. It doesn't require any additional water to bloom and grows quickly to blooming size (just a few months from seed). A must have for the Houston garden.
Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta , this is another low maintenance plant. I planted my main front yard garden with these mixed with Beebalm - Monarda fistulosa (which is growing nicely but has yet to bloom) and Rudbeckia maxima in the background.
Giant Coneflower - Rudbeckia maxima , another of my favorite Texas wildflowers. Very easy to grow! These particular plants in the picture survived and thrived the entire summer last year with no additional watering or care. The plants are tall; these reached 5 1/2 feet this year with the drought conditions. They also have a nice silvery foliage which makes them attractive even when not in bloom.
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