Russian Sage is a graceful perennial with silver stems (so chalky in appearance they sometimes seem to
be white) and feathery, silver leaves. Russian sage plants (at maturity and/or if you don't prune it
annually) can reach a height of 4 feet (with a spread of 3 feet) or greater. This bush produces panicles of
small, bluish-lavender flowers from June through frost. Russian sage is classified as a woody sub-shrub.
But because many people prune these bushes annually and thereby keep them relatively short, they are
often treated as if they were flowers. Russian sage plants attract hummingbirdsand bees. They are also
goodbutterfly plants. Like many aromatic plants, they are deer resistant. Drought tolerant, rendering it
low-maintenance and a sound candidate for xeriscaping. Its long blooming period will be valued by
those who seek a flower bed that remains in bloom throughout the growing season.
Salvia greggii or Autumn Sage is a perennial shrub that blooms from late spring into the fall
withFurmans Red, , Raspberry, Coral, Purple,or White flowers that attract hummingbirds. Autumn sage
grows to about 3 feet tall with a 3-foot spread and enjoys drier soils and soils with excellent drainage.
Plant in full sun but can stand very light shade. Cut back hard in early spring then by half again in August
for a second flush of heavy blooms. No pest or disease problem.
Hot Lips Salvia, Salvia microphyllais a fast-growing, 30" tall x 6' wide clump that is adorned with
stunning bicolor flowers with red tips and white lips...attractive to hummingbirds. When the nights
warm in summer, the new flowers are all red with an occasional solid white one. As fall approaches, the
flowers again will be bicolored red and white. As with the Salvia greggii, cut back hard in late winter then
again by half in August for its second flush of heavy bloom. This will keep your salvia to about three by
three foot wide and tall with a more compact form. Hot Lips also needs more water than Salvia greggii
but does not like wet feet.
Salvia Black and Blue, Salvia guaranitica, is a tall and attractive plant that has an upright growth habit
which reaches 2 to 3 feet in height. The bi-colored blooms are 3/4 of an inch in size and occur from
spring to fall. Very attractive to hummingbirds. Does best with a weekly watering but doesn’t like wet
feet. More cold tender than the other salvias so mulch around the base of each plant. Cut back to the
ground in early spring. Spreads slowly from the center out but is not aggressive. Easy to divide.
Mexican Bush Sage normally grows 2 to 4 feet in height, with a mounding growth habit. The plant's
stems stand out because they are white and woolly in appearance. Each flower spear can measure 6 to
12 inches in length. The fall flowering is normally profuse and striking. Mexican bush sage maintains a
bushy growth habit when grown in full sun but will become leggy in appearance when grown in shady
conditions. The plant does well in drought conditions but cannot withstand water-logged soil around its
roots. It can sustain severe rot and may die if subjected to wet roots for a long period of time. The low
water requirements of the Mexican bush sage make the plant an excellent choice in any Xeriscape
garden. The Mexican sage is a wonderful food source for hummingbirds and butterflies.
The Deulberg cultivars Henry and Augusta also known as Mealy Cup Sageare so drought resistant and
heat tolerant that they can grow well in locations that are almost never irrigated.This Texas native
species is one of the mainstays of gardens worldwide. Tidy, easy to grow, hardy, long blooming and
undemanding.Butterflies, honeybees and hummingbirds all find Mealy Cup Sage irresistible, but deer
aren't so fond of it. They grow 36 inches tall and wide in full sun.
May Night salvia, Salvia nemerosa is a mid-height (about 18 inches) that presents spikes of blooms
from around May to October. Very heat and drought tolerant and are not fussy about soil but they don’t
like wet feet. Salvia May Night is appealing to bees and butterflies and deer resistant. They spread by
seed but are not aggressive and they look great in drifts. Routine deadheading will keep salvia blooming
all through the summer. Cut back to the ground in early spring.
Salvia,Indigo Spires is one of the most dependable butterfly magnets you can grow. This is a very long
flowering perennial. The flowering spikes can be up to 1 foot or more in length with whorls of half-inch
flowers all along their lengths. They bend down under their own weight. The plant has a sprawling
habit, getting about 3-5 feet tall and spreading out even more. Indigo Spires starts blooming in early
summer and continues unabated until the first frost. Indigo Spires tends to keep growing and growing
and then falling over under its own weight. Constant pruning and pinching will keep it in bounds, and
removing the flower spikes after most of the flowers have dropped off will encourage more blooming.
This salvia does best in full sun, but does okay in part shade, too.
Indigo Spires needs regular watering to be at its best, but can tolerate drought if it has to.
Santolina, Grey and Green is a very xeric, no fuss plant.Plant in full sun; prefers dry, low-fertility soil.
Lavender Cotton will do just fine on just rainwater even during the longest drought. Perfect for rock
gardens.Broad, dense mound; opens and becomes floppy after flowering but tightens right up soon
after. Can deadhead or leave alone. Santolina grows 1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide. Sometimes
used in knot gardens.
Sedum, Stonecrop:Autumn Fire, Frosty Morn, and Vera Jamesonare excellent edging or rock garden
plants, particularly for hot, dry sites with poor soil. Plant in full sun, cutting back to the ground in early
spring. Terrific xeric plants with no pest or disease problems. Sedum does not like wet feetso care
should be taken to provide a very well-drained site. They are attractive to bees and butterflies.Sedum
are small plants growing to 1 foot with blooms from late summer to fall. Sedum does well in pots lasting
for years with no attention living on just rainwater or in rock gardens.
Stonecrop: Angelina, Mexicana,Blue Spruce, Red Carpetis easily grown in average, dry to medium
moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates some light shade. Likes sandy or gravelly soils, but
needs good soil drainage to perform well. Drought tolerant, so avoid overwatering. Plants may be sited
12” apart when grown as a ground cover. Easily propagated by cuttings or division. Plants are evergreen
in warm winter climates.Stonecrop does well in a rock garden or small area ground cover, border fronts,
or stone wall pockets. Also great on sunny banks or slopes. Use as edging and in containers. Best when
planted in groups or massed as a ground cover.
Pink Texas andPurple Skullcap has Thyme-like foliage and has a dense growth habit, remaining neat and
compact, the flowers are reminiscent of tiny snapdragon flowers. The flowers are either rose-red to pink
or purple to lavender in color and small. Use for rock gardens, on dry hillsides, xeriscaping, or even for
container gardening! Skullcap gets one to two foot wide and less than one foot tall. Plant in a sunny
spot but can tolerate very light shade. They don’t like wet feet but do appreciate a once a week watering
especially when just planted. Blooming period is from early summer to frost. Cut back in early spring to
be kept tidy and increase blooms.
Hypericum calycinum, St. Johns wort is a beautiful and versatile ground cover plant can be used as a
smallfloweringshrub or floweringgroundcover. This Hypericum is often called Aaron's beard or
creeping St. John's wort. This plant iseasy to grow in average, moist, well-drained soil in full sun to part
shade. Hypericum tolerates a wide range of soils and thrives in sandy soils in full sun. Hypericum will
grow in partially shaded areas, however, the plants will bloom less. A low growing evergreen plant in
warm winter climates, it is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade.
Where it does not die in winter,shear or mow plants in late winter or early spring every 2-3 years to
renew and induce new growth. It grows 1 to 1.5 feet with a spread of 1.5 to 2 feet. The bloom time is
spring to summer.
Turks Cap Gardeners, hummingbirds and butterflies have it made in the shade with Turk’s cap, the
newly designated Superstar by Texas AgriLife Research. Plus the birds like to eat the fruit. “It’s extremely
drought-tolerant and will thrive in dry soils. It does very well in the shade but will take full sun, so it is a
very versatile plant.“It’ll grow in full sun, full shade, wet soil, dry soil, alkaline soil and acid soil — it’s a
pretty dang amazing plant,” said Greg Grant. Turks Cap grows to 3 feet tall and wide. They bloom from
late spring until frost. No pest or disease problems.
Umbrella Pant is a light and graceful plant with thin upright shoots. It dies to ground each
winter but returns in the spring. More like a shrub than a flower, that likes good planting soil
best. Cyperus grows well in wet areas and even under water. Use as an accent plant, distinctive
foliage, bog or aquatic plant. Sun / Part Shade Grows to a height of 4-8 feet with an equal spread.
Verbena, Homestead Purple ishardier than the species,' is covered with bright purple flowers produced
on short spikes all summer long. It grows about 1 foot tall and several feet in diameter. The many
branched stems lie along the ground and root as they go. This tough plant is great for dry, sunny, rough
places where others fail. It needs good drainage and responds well to occasional shearing. Attracts
hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.
Veronica spicata, Sunny Border Blue is a herbaceous perennial. 'Sunny Border Blue' produces erect
sturdy spikes of tubular, dark violet-blue flowers from early summer to late autumn. This is a clump
growing perennial with lance-shaped, crinkled, toothed, glossy dark green leaves. This species needs
good drainage, moisture and full sun, good for sunny borders and rock gardens.Deadhead to prolong the
bloom time. Height is 1.5 inches with a 1 foot spread. Butterflies love Veronica.
Veronica, Spike Speedwell, Red Fox is a compact selection that forms a bushy clump of dark-green
leaves, bearing spikes of deep-pink flowers through the summer months. Removing faded spikes will
keep plants in flower for much longer. Excellent for cutting. Plant in full sun in average soil. Easily
divided in fall or early spring. Powdery mildew is sometimes a problem, but growing plants in a moist site
will help to prevent this disease. Flowers are attractive to butterflies. Height is 1.5 to 15 inches with
spread the same.
YarrowPaprika, Terracotta Moonshine, Apple Blossomis an herbaceous plant that makes a fine easy
perennial for the border with long lasting color. Works nicely in dryland xeriscapes where it matches
demands of arid western natives. A traditional component of herb, cutting and knot gardens. Once
established, needs only occasional watering. Foliage grows to 2 feet tall and flowers to 3 feet tall.
Attracts birds and butterflies.
Red yucca (which is not a yucca) is a stalwart in the landscapes of Texas and the southwest. Its
evergreen, dark green rosette of long, thin leaves rising fountain-like from the base provides an unusual
sculptural accent, its long spikes of pink to red to coral bell-shaped flowers, which hummingbirds love,
last from May through October, and it is exceedingly tough, tolerating extreme heat and cold and
needing no attention or supplemental irrigation once established, although many people remove the
dried flower stalks in the fall. Unlike yucca, the leaves are not spine-tipped, and have fibrous threads
along the edges. Requires full sun, average soil, and grows 3-5’ tall and 2-4’ wide.
Zexmenia has been a popular landscape plant in Texas for a number of years and is referred to by some
gardeners as a "miracle plant" because of its versatility, cold and drought tolerance and long season
good looks. This bouquet-like shrublet stands upright in full sun but will adapt to partial shade at the
woods edge by reclining slightly to form a mounding groundcover with shiny, dark, sandpapery leaves
and slightly fewer golden-orange, nickel-sized daisies than would occur in full sun. Poor rocky sites and
amended garden soil are equally suitable provided the drainage is good. It may be cut back by half in July
to re-shape or promote denser growth. Zexmenia grows 2-3’ tall and 2.5’ wide. Blooming from May
through October. Attracts butterflies.