Imagine a garden in full bloom. Every color you can think of exists as a delicate flower, their sweet scent drifting on a slight breeze. Bees and butterflies visit daily. Hummingbirds stop by in the evening. And that bit of rain last week means you don’t have to water for a few more days. You have a thriving, low maintenance garden and it’s the middle of summer in Texas. Sound impossible? Not when you add native, heat-tolerant perennials to your garden. Check out this list of five plants that are low maintenance, attract wildlife and bloom all summer long.
1. Texas Lantana (Lantana urticoides)
- Hearty perennial. Deciduous shrub.
- Height of 3-6′ and spread up to 5’ wide.
- Flower: red, orange and yellow tubular flowers in dense, rounded clusters.
- Produces round, fleshy, dark blue to black fruits. Berries are toxic to humans and most mammals.
- Bloom Time: April – October
- Water Use: Low
- Light Requirement: Full Sun; Partial Shade
- Soil Description: Well-drained soils
- Maintenance: Low. Prune down to ground in winter to control spread.
- Use Wildlife: Attracts bees and birds, including hummingbirds and butterflies. Deer resistant.
2. Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea)
- Tender perennial that reseeds easily.
- Height of 1-3′ and spread up to 2’ wide
- Flower: Florescent red tubular flowers
- Bloom Time: February – October
- Water Use: Medium
- Light Requirement: Sun; Partial Shade
- Soil Description: sandy to gravelly soil
- Maintenance: Low. Deadhead and trim periodically to create bushier shape.
- Use Wildlife: Attracts bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Deer resistant.
3. Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Bushy perennial
- Height of 2′ and spread up to 2’ wide
- Flower: large clusters of bright orange flowers
- Bloom Time: May – September
- Water Use: Low
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Soil Description: well-drained, sandy soil
- Maintenance: Medium. May attract aphids, which you can leave for ladybugs to eat or spray off by blasting the plant with a high pressure stream of water.
- Use Wildlife: Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Larval host for Grey Hairstreak, Monarch and Queen butterflies. Deer resistant.
4. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- A shrubby, well branched plant.
- Height of 2-5′ and spread up to 2-3’ wide.
- Flower: Lavender flowers with domed, purplish-brown, spiny centers.
- Bloom Time: April – September
- Water Use: Medium
- Light Requirement: Sun; Partial Shade
- Soil Description: well-drained, sandy or richer soils
- Maintenance: Low
- Use Wildlife: Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Dead flower heads left standing in winter will attract birds who feed on the remaining seeds.
5. Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)
- Upright, herbaceous perennial that exudes a milky sap when cut. Can cause skin irritation.
- Height of 2′ and spread up to 2’ wide.
- Flower: white clusters of flowers. Some may have a pink, purple or greenish tint in the center of the flower.
- Bloom Time: April – September
- Water Use: Low
- Light Requirement: Sun
- Soil Description: well-drained soil. Does well in poor to rich soil conditions.
- Maintenance: Low
- Use Wildlife: Attracts butterflies. Larval host plant for Monarch and Queen butterflies. Deer resistant.
These five featured plants are perfect for Texas summers. Native plants, like these, not only add beauty to a garden but require less water, fertilizer and pesticides because they evolved to survive in these tough conditions. Consider adding a few to the garden this summer. Be sure to keep them well-watered until they have established deep roots. You’ll soon be rewarded with a low maintenance garden full of blooms.
These plants qualify for a native plant rebate from Woodlands Water Agency. If you are a Woodlands resident and live in Montgomery County, be sure to check out the complete list of rebates available here.