or
How Helianthus annus, Verbena, Lantana, perennial petunia, Salvia, Duranta, fennel, morning glories, canna, and milkweed keep coming back year after year to beat the heat and drought, and feed my butterflies and their caterpillers while I don't do a thing -- especially spend time or money on seeds or plants.
I created a year-round flowering
garden suited to my area the hard way. I noted what was blooming and when
along the highway and in vacant lots and fields at different times of the year,
then sought those (usually native) plants for my garden. The easiser way is to
find a list by someone who knows of flowers that bloom all
summer/fall/winter/spring.
What follows is a list of flowers that bloom all summer in the Zone 7/8
Southwest, which for my area means nearly all year long. When these aren't
blooming in North Central Texas, bulbs are:
purple coneflower, Indian blanket, trailing lantana, Turk's cap, autumn salvia,
verbena, *
purple loosestrife, rock rose, and mealy cup sage.
*Friend to butterfly, bee, and hummingbird; resistor of heat and thirst; and flourishes amongst astonishing neglect in my garden.
~ ~
Randy Weston (of Weston Gardens in Bloom, Inc.)'s "short list of perennials that he (after the 1998 heatwave) knows can take the scorching (Texas) temperatures --"
Fort Worth Star-Telegramflame acanthus, wood fern, rock rose,
pink skullcap,
autumn sage,
Texas lantana
and Turk's-cap.
*Friend to butterfly, bee, and hummingbird; resistor of heat and thirst; and flourishes amongst astonishing neglect in my garden.
~ ~
"Renegade gardener:
In one man's wild ecosystem, every plant is welcome"
"The Organic Way:
Getting the bad bugs out"
Butterfly Gardening for Dimmies. And the horticulturally challenged...
"Heirlooms or Old Fashioned Flowers"
Antique roses:
Own- root/rustled/rescued/antique -- they all spell hassle-free, healthy blooms
Beloved Misfits: Dandelions <=> Bats <=> Gargoyles <=> Dragons
*
Alpha's Quadrant
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The Wild
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CLCW
aka
Sarah Bernhardt
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Motherhood and Housewifery
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Nikki & Kilory
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Ballerinas
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I think I can I think I can
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Hundred Acre Wood
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Barney and Freud Tour Vienna
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Celebrating the Seasons
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BB Guns and Frozen Tongues
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Music & Art
Films vs. Movies
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The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
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2 Exhausted 2 Write Newsletter Archive
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Xeriscopic Butterfly Gardening
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Butterfly Gardening for Dimmies
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The Neglectful Gardener
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Antique Roses
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Garden Xeriscaping & Gramma
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Gloomy Grumpy Pawpaw
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Teddy Bear Wars
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Pawpaw vs. The Squirrels
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Dandelion Appreciation
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Virtual Tea Party
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Whoville
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Green Eggs & Hams
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The Zoo
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Chocolate
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101 Reasons to Hate Young Skinny Women
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The Biscuit of Ally McBeal
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Green Gables in My Garden
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Antiques/Brocante/ Junque
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I love Paris in the Springtime
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Like Cats & Dogs
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Hedgehogs
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The Belfry
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Helen's Yellow Brick Road
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Friend Links
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Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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The Galaxy Song
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Looney Camelot
* Cathedral Guardians
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Gorey Q
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Donald and The...
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The Doubtful Guest
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Book of Practical Cats
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Greatpa
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Photos
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Family History & Photos
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Civil War Diary of G. T. Granger
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Wes Stoops Memorial
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Love Letter to Gramma
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Diana's Life Lessons
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Jesus Wants Me for a Sunflower